WASHINGTON (February 8, 2019) – With the first half of league play in the books, the Howard University men's basketball team begins the second half with a pair of rematches in the Sunshine State. Saturday (Feb. 9), HU squares off against the Florida A&M (FAMU) Rattlers at 4 p.m. Two days later (Feb. 11), the Bison meet Bethune-Cookman (B-CU) in the historic Moore Gymnasium at 7:30 p.m.
Fans can follow all the action at
www.FAMUAthletics.com and
www.BCUAthletics.com.
LAST TIMEOUT
Saturday (Feb. 2), the Bison went toe-to-toe with Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) contender Norfolk State (NSU) and held the advantage throughout, but the Spartans rallied to top HU in the waning moments with a pair of free throws to remaining unbeaten in league play, 80-78, inside The Burr.
Sophomore guard
RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) led all scorers with 29 points on 8-of-17 shooting, including five trey balls.
Redshirt junior
Chad Lott (Shreveport, La.) flirted with a double-double, finishing with 19 points and nine boards, while junior
Charles Williams (Richmond, Va.) netted 16 points in a losing effort.
MATCHUP PREVIEWS
HOWARD
HU (10-13, 4-4 MEAC) sits seventh in the MEAC standings, but only two games back in the loss column for the No. 2 seed. With an opportunity to move up the ladder this weekend, the Bison will need to continue its winning ways away from The Burr. Howard rides a two-game road winning streak.
Cole, Lott, and Williams guide the league's top scoring team (78.9 ppg), with all three Bison among the top scorers in the conference. Cole (20.7 ppg) and Williams (18.9 ppg) are first and second, respectively, and Lott (15.3 ppg) sixth overall.
FLORIDA A&M
FAMU (10-14, 7-2 MEAC) enters Saturday's showdown second in the conference behind undefeated Norfolk State. After a tough home OT loss against Maryland Eastern Shore, the Rattlers have won five straight, including a 73-57 victory over North Carolina Central.
Justin Ravenal spearheads the offense, ranking fifth in the league at 15.8 points per game.
On Feb. 5, the Bison dropped its MEAC opener against Florida A&M, 82-72, inside Burr Gymnasium. Cole finished with 19 points while going 10-of-12 at the charity stripe.
BETHUNE-COOKMAN
Before Monday's showdown, B-CU (10-13, 5-4 MEAC) meets Norfolk State Saturday (Feb. 2). Bethune-Cookman comes in with back-to-back wins over North Carolina Central and North Carolina A&T State.
Cletrell Pope leads the club, averaging a double-double with 12.3 rebounds and 12.3 points.
On Feb. 7, the Bison came up short against Bethune-Cookman, 71-63, inside Burr Gymnasium. Lott finished with 14 points and four rebounds while sophomore
Zion Cousins (Upper Marlboro, Md.) added 12 rebounds and six points.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
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.
