DOVER, Del. (February 5, 2024) – Junior guard Bryce Harris (Brentwood, N.Y.) scored 17 of his game-high 23 points in the second half and fellow classmate guard Marcus Dockery (Washington) added 21 points, but it was some key plays by graduate forward Seth Towns (Columbus, Ohio) and clutch free throw shooting by graduate guard Isiah Warfield (Monaca, Pa.) that helped the Howard University men's basketball team hold off Delaware State (DSU), 75-71, in a wild and exciting Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown at Memorial Hall.
 
The Bison (10-14, 4-3 MEAC) had held the hosts at bay through most of the first half and came out strong in the first few minutes of the second half, using a 9-0 run, to take the biggest lead of the game, 46-31, at the 13:21 mark of the second period.
 
That is when much-improved Delaware State (10-13, 3-4 MEAC) went to work, using a 34-19 run during an 11-minute stretch to take the lead, 65-64, at the 2:50 mark.
 
DMV native graduate guard Jordan Hairston (Fairfax, Va.) hit on one-of-two free throws to help the Bison tie the game at 65 with 2:12 remaining in regulation.
 
Then Towns came alive in the second stanza, made a big three pointer with 1:31 left to put his team up, 68-65.
 
Following a missed Delaware State shot, Harris threw down an emphatic dunk to give the Bison a 70-65 advantage with just 56 seconds left on the clock.
 
The Hornets' Deywilk Tavarez was fouled and converted two free throws to make it a one-possession game, 70-67, with 46 ticks on the clock.
 
Towns answered with two free throws 28 seconds later to up the lead, 72-67, but the Hornets would not go away.
 
Tavarez scored on a driving layup to close the gap, 72-69, with 12 seconds remaining. Then, Dockery hit on one-of-two free throws to make the score 73-69 with nine seconds remaining. It was Tavarez again who countered with two free throws to get the Hornets to within two, 73-71, with six ticks still left on the clock.
 
The Hornets quickly fouled Warfield with four ticks on the clock. The Pennsylvania native, who is shooting almost 90-percent from the charity stripe on the season, calmly sank both to close out the scoring and giving Howard the hard-fought victory.
 
Harris connected on 8-of-16 shots from the field, including 2-for-2 from the charity stripe and knocking down his only three-point attempt.
 
Dockery, who leads the MEAC in three-point shooting, was 8-of-16 from the floor, including 4-of-8 from his specialty area. The junior guard scored 13 of his points in the first 20 minutes.
 
Towns, who had only eight points in the first half, finished with 19 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-8 from the beyond the arc.
 
Warfield finished with only four points, but he added four rebounds and a team-high five assists in a winning effort.
 
Delaware State, which has lost four-in-a-row by a combined total of eight points, was led by Tavarez (21 points), Jevin Muniz (19 points) and Martaz Robinson (10 points).
 
NEXT UP: Howard returns home for a big showdown with North Carolina Central Saturday (Feb. 17) inside Burr Gymnasium. Tipoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.