LAS VEGAS (December 17, 2023) – Graduate forward Seth Towns (Columbus, Ohio) scored 14 of his 16 points in the second half to lead four Bison in double figures, but sophomore forward Dom Campbell (Scarborough, Maine) missed a potential game winner with a second remaining as the Howard University men's basketball team dropped a 79-78 decision to Texas Southern (TSU) in the Chris Paul HBCU Challenge in the Mandalay Arena.
 
The loss was the second straight for the Bison (4-8), who had lost to Jackson State less than 24 hours before, 81-74. It was the first win of the season for the Tigers (1-8).
 
It appeared as if Howard would have an easy time when they opened a 20-point lead at the 1:52 mark in the first half. Then Texas Southern, led by PJ Henry, reeled off an 11-2 run to close out the first half and cut the deficit to 41-30 at the break.
 
Texas Southern parlayed the first half run into a 71-61 advantage at the 3:32 mark of the second half. Howard was plagued by missed shots and turnovers, which the Tigers converted into points.
 
Then, Towns, who came into the game leading the team in scoring (17 points per game) got going and helped his team get to within four, 79-75, with 20 seconds remaining. He hit a clutch three pointer with just four seconds on the clock to pull the Bison within one, 79-78. Next, the Bison forced a turnover with a steal by graduate guard Isiah Warfield (Monaca, Pa.).
 
Following a timeout by Howard, the Bison got the ball to Campbell, but he missed the attempt and Texas Southern grabbed the defensive rebound to secure its first win.
 
Towns led the team in scoring, connecting on 4-of-8 from beyond the arc while also grabbing six rebounds. Campbell added 13 points and eight rebounds, followed by sophomore guard Ose Okojie (Brampton, Canada) with 11 points off the bench and Warfield with 10 points.
 
Starting junior guard Bryce Harris (Brentwood, N.Y.) played only 18 minutes and finished with nine points, seven under his average.
 
Junior guard Marcus Dockery (Washington), who scored a team-high 20 in the loss to Jackson State, finished with only three points on one field goal and sophomore forward Shy Odom (Roxbury, Mass.) managed three points, seven under his average.
 
The Tigers were led by Henry, who led all scorers with 26 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Reserve Jonathan Cisse added 18 points off the bench.
 
TSU scored 18 of their points off the Bison's 14 turnovers. Howard missed 18-of-29 shots in the second half while the Tigers connected on 60-percent in the final 20 minutes.
 
NEXT UP: Howard continues its current West Coast road swing when it takes on University of California at Santa Barbara Wednesday (Dec. 20) at 10 p.m. (ET) / 7 p.m. (PT).
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.