DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 11, 2019) – Howard University men's basketball team completed its Florida road trip with a comeback win over Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Preseason Favorite Bethune-Cookman (B-CU), 79-73, inside the historic Moore Gymnasium.
 
With the victory, HU (12-13, 6-4 MEAC) picked up its fourth straight road win after erasing a 14-point deficit.
 
With less than eight minutes before intermission, B-CU's Mark Gordon drilled a trey ball and gave the Wildcats its largest lead, 24-10.
 
Howard rallied and tied the contest with 13 ticks before halftime, thanks to a jumper from freshman Raymond Bethea, Jr. (Atlantic City, N.J.), 37-37, but Dondre Duffus put Bethune-Cookman ahead before the half, 38-37.
 
Sophomore RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) led all scorers with a season-high 32 points, including 20 in the first half. The New Jersey native also registered six dimes and six boards in the victory.
 
Shortly after intermission, Cole made a pair of freebies and gave HU the advantage, in which they never relinquished.
 
Howard scored 21 points off 18 Wildcat turnovers while grabbing 16 offensive rebounds.
 
Newcomer Akuwovo Ogheneyole (Delta State, Nigeria) had 10 rebounds, including five offensive boards.
 
Overall, the Bison shot only 35-percent (23-of-65) but made up for the subpar shooting at the charity stripe and downtown. HU went 25-of-32 from the foul line while recording 42-percent (8-of-19) from beyond the arc.
 
Junior Charles Williams (Richmond, Va.) netted 20 points while Bethea, Jr. added 13 points off the bench.
 
For Bethune-Cookman (11-14, 6-5 MEAC), they had four Wildcats reach double figures. Cletrell Pope and Shawntez Davis each registered a double-double in the loss.
 
Howard returns to D.C. for its final two home games of the season.
 
Saturday (Feb. 16), HU hosts North Carolina A&T State on Alumni Day. Game-time is set for 4 p.m.
 
Two nights later (Feb. 18), the Bison face North Carolina Central on Senior Night. Tip-off at 7:30 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.