WASHINGTON (November 9, 2021) – Howard University men's basketball team took down the District of Columbia (UDC) Firebirds in the season opener inside The Burr, 87-59.
 
D.C. native Elijah Hawkins showed why he is going to be one of the top freshman in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, pouring in a game-high 23 points to lead four Bison in double figures.
 
Freshman Bryce Harris (Brentwood, N.Y.) led the defensive push, as the Bison strutted to an early 12-6 lead in the first half. Suddenly, HU accelerated on all gas and climbed to a 30-14 lead with eight minutes left in the first period.
 
Hawkins led the Bison push with several explosive plays up-and-down the court throughout the contest and gave the Bison a 48-28 lead going into halftime. Senior guard Kyle Foster (Hampton, Va.), who was part of the second group that came off the bench, contributed 11 points (all in the first half) as he and Hawkins combined for 21 points before intermission.
 
Redshirt sophomore Steve Settle, III (Glenarden, Md.) also energized the crowd with three strong blocks and back-to-back three-pointers in the matchup. Settle finished with eight points, three blocks and three rebounds on the night.
 
Heading into the second half, the Bison started off strong defensively. However, as the pace started to quicken and both teams showed more strength in terms of physicality, the contest quickly turned into a game of free throws. Running into foul trouble themselves, the Bison shot 70-percent (23-of-33) from the free throw line and used several called timeouts to regroup.
 
A strong surge from UDC's Kenyon Stone and Deonte Hicks, allowed the Firebirds to cut the Howard lead to 20 (60-40). However, a nice layup from Settle and a couple of hustle plays from Harris helped the Bison regain control and extend the lead deep into the second half, 68-45.
 
The extra effort plays from Hawkins made the difference, as the Firebirds could not stop the Bison from scoring.
 
Senior Deven Richmond (Bowie, Md.) contributed 14 points and Harris had 12 points.
 
The Bison dominated the boards, holding a 52-39 advantage with senior Sam Green (Bowie, Md.) grabbing 11 off the bench and second-year Bison Jordan Wood (San Antonio) adding 10 boards in the win.
 
Stone led the Firebirds with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one steal.
 
Next, the Bison will take on Regent Wednesday (Nov.10) at home inside Burr Gymnasium. Tipoff is at 5 p.m.
 
Ed Hill, Jr., retired Howard Sports Information Director, contributed to this story.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.