NORFOLK, Va. (March 10, 2023) – Howard University men's basketball team defeated the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES), 74-55, and advanced to its first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Championship Game since 2002.
 
MEAC Rookie of the Year freshman forward Shy Odom (Roxbury, Mass.) registered his second career double-double (16 points and 10 rebounds) while redshirt junior forward Steve Settle, III (Glenarden, Md.) added 16 points in the win.
 
"Since the beginning of the season, Coach Blakeney has been telling us that we could be special and we just had to follow his lead," said Settle postgame. "We worked really hard and the work has been shown on the court, so we're just following our culture."
 
Junior forward Jordan Wood (San Antonio) easily won the opening tip, but UMES put first points on the board with a drive to the basket.
 
Moments later, two-time All-MEAC selection sophomore guard Elijah Hawkins (Washington) made a pair of freebies and put HU in the scoring column.
 
Entering at the 14-minute mark, senior guard Khalil Robinson (Columbia, S.C.) knocked down a corner three and cut the margin to a one-possession game, 13-10.
 
With halftime looming, sophomore guard Marcus Dockery (Washington) hit a three, followed by Hawkins' finesse layup put Howard ahead by four, 23-19.
 
The Bison entered halftime with a four-point advantage, 26-22, despite shooting only 33-percent from the field.
 
After intermission, UMES came out with more momentum, but it was not enough to phase the Bison.
 
Wood drilled a corner three-pointer and Robinson knocked down another trey ball at the 15-minute mark.
 
With under eight minutes remaining, Dockery drove to the lane to give HU an 11-point lead, 49-38. Shortly after, Odom took another powerful drive to the basket, contributing to the score with another "and-one" play.
 
Howard continued strong play, maintaining a 14-point lead with five minutes left.
 
With two minutes to go, Settle sealed the deal with back-to-back drives to the rim and sent HU back to the title game for the first time in 21 years.
 
Dockery wrapped up the night with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting.
 
Howard outrebounded the Hawks, 46-32, while scoring 34 points inside the paint.
 
For UMES (18-13, 9-5 MEAC), Zion Styles had seven points, six steals and three boards in a losing effort.
 
Howard squares off against reigning MEAC Tournament Champion Norfolk State Saturday (March 11). Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN2.
 
For more information, visit meacsports.com or the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.