WASHINGTON (December 31, 2024) – Howard University men's basketball team clashes with Yale on New Year's Day (Jan. 1) in New Haven, Conn. Tipoff is slated for 1 p.m.
 
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GAME 14
 
PARTICIPANTS: Howard (Bison) at Yale (Bulldogs)
DATE: January 1, 2025
TIME:  1 p.m.
LOCATION: Payne Whitney Gymnasium in New Haven, Conn.
 
LAST TIMEOUT
 
HOWARD
 
Saturday (Dec. 28), freshman guard Blake Harper (Washington) poured a career-high 34 points but only one other Bison reached double figures as short-handed HU fell, 83-67, at Hampton in the HBCU Showcase.
 
YALE
 
On Dec. 21, Yale (6-6) dropped a 75-74 decision to UTEP in its last game on the road. The setback snapped a two-game win streak for the Bulldogs, led in scoring by Riley Fox with 19 points off the bench and Isaac Celliscar with 13 points. Yale got 26 points from its bench.
 
SERIES RECORD
 
This is the fourth meeting between the two renown institutions with Yale winning the preview three matchups.
 
Yale defeated the Bison 86-78 in OT last year inside The Burr. In the other victories, 86-40 in 2022, and 89-75 in 2020.
 
THE COACHES
 
Howard is coached by Kenneth Blakeney (Duke, '95), who is in his sixth season and has led the Bison to two straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament titles and NCAA appearances. Yale is led by James Jones (Albany, '86), who is in his 26th year at the helm.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH 
 
HOWARD PROBABLE STARTERS
 
No.      Name                                      2024-25 Stats                                                                        
23        Mounir Hima                          0.7 ppg, 1.7 rpg & three blocked shots
1          Anwar Gill                               9.4 ppg, 4.7 rpg & team-leading 44 assists
5          Marcus Dockery                      16.0 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 37 3FGM & 45-percent 3FG%
7          Blake Harper                           17.5 ppg, 6.7 rpg, 41 assists, 15 steals & 80-percent FT%
8          Joshua Strong                         7.2 rpg, 2.8 rpg, 25 3FGM & 53-percent 3FG%
 
HOWARD KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                                      2024-25 Stats                                                                        
15        Cameron Shockley-Okeke      7.7 ppg & 47-percent 3FG%
4          Miles Stewart                            3.7 ppg, 2.1 rpg & six blocked shots
 
YALE PROBABLE STARTERS
 
No.      Name                                      2024-25 Stats                                                                        
42        Nick Townsend                       13.3 ppg & 7.0 rpg
2          Bez Mbeng                               11.5 ppg, 4.5 rpg, team-leading 62 assists & 17 steals 
11        Travis Mullin                           3.9 ppg & 1.4 rpg
10        Samson Aletan                       6.8 ppg, 3.7 rpg & team-leading 15 blocked shots
14        Casey Simmons                      8.4 ppg & 3.4 rpg
 
YALE KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                                      2024-25 Stats                                                                        
8          Isaac Celliscar                           8.5 ppg & 6.0 rpg  
9          Riley Fox                                   3.9 ppg & 2.0 rpg
 
GAME NOTES
 
HOWARD
 
Harper has established himself as one of the top freshmen in the country, being named MEAC Rookie of the Week eight straight time this season...Harper has also recorded a triple double, the first in school history, a double-double at nationally-ranked Cincinnati (Dec. 8) and a career-high 34 points at Hampton (Dec. 28)...Harper leads the team and the MEAC in several statistical categories…Senior guard Marcus Dockery (Washington) is having his best all-around season in a Bison uniform…Dockery recently scored the 1,000 career points versus Drexel (Dec. 17)…Dockery missed his first free throw attempt of the season at Hampton (Dec. 28i), but he is still shooting over 93-percent from the stripe…one of the best three-point shooters in the country, Dockery is shooting over 40-percent in his productive career…The shorthanded Bison, who played only eight players in the game at Hampton (Dec. 28), have played the last six games without the services of key contributors junior forward Dom Campbell (Scarborough, Maine), senior guard Bryce Harris (Brentwood, N.Y.) and junior reserve forward Ose Okojie (Brampton, Canada), who average to combine for over 20 points and 15 rebounds among them and their status for this game is unknown…The Bison are averaging 17 assists per game and limiting opponents to 31-percent shooting from the three-point line…A nemesis for the Bison has been the turnover where they are surrendering 17 points a contest off turnovers…graduate forward Cameron Shockley-Okeke (Norwalk, Conn.) is shooting 58-percent from the field on the season with 19 of his 34 made field goals from beyond the arc.
 
YALE
 
The Bulldogs have been without the services of John Poulakides, who leads the team in scoring (21.0 ppg) and made three pointers (32)...Poulakides has been out since December 21…The Bulldogs average 80 points per game, shooting 49-percent from the field as a team and averaging 18 assists per game…They are also outrebounding their opponents almost 10 per game.
 
NEXT UP
 
Howard opens MEAC play Saturday (Jan. 4) versus Delaware State. The game broadcast on ESPNU, scheduled for 8 p.m., at The Burr.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.