WASHINGTON (January 12, 2025) – Howard University men's basketball team looks to extend its win streak Monday (Jan. 13), hosting Coppin State (CSU) inside The Burr. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
 
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GAME 17
 
PARTICIPANTS: Coppin State (Eagles) versus Howard (Bison)
DATE: January 13, 2025
TIME:  7:30 p.m.
LOCATION: Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C.
 
LAST TIMEOUT
 
HOWARD
 
Saturday (Jan. 11), senior guard Marcus Dockery (Washington) scored 15 of his game-high 25 points and fellow D.C. native graduate guard Anwar Gill added 12 of his 14 points in the second stanza as the Howard University men's basketball team outlasted Morgan State, 100-95, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown at Burr Gymnasium.
 
COPPIN STATE
 
Coppin State (2-15, 1-2 MEAC) is coming off a 92-69 loss to Norfolk State on the road Saturday (Jan. 11). The Eagles were led by Toby Nnadozie (15 points), Jonathan Dunn (13 points) and Peter Oduro and Julius Ellerbe with 12 points and 11 points, respectively.
 
SERIES RECORD
 
This is the 75^th meeting between the two institutions since 1986 with CSU leading the series, 47-28.
 
Howard defeated Coppin State, 78-69, on February 26, 2024, for its fourth straight win. The Eagles last won, 59-57, on March 9, 2023.
 
THE COACHES
 
Coppin State is coached by Larry Stewart (Coppin State, '06), who is in his second season at his alma mater. Howard is led by Kenneth Blakeney (Duke, '95) who is in his sixth season and has led the Bison to two straight NCAA Tournament titles and NCAA appearances.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
 
HOWARD PROBABLE STARTERS
 
No.      Name                                      2024-25 Stats                                                                        
23        Mounir Hima                             0.4 ppg, 1.4 rpg & four blocked shots
1          Anwar Gill                                  9.1 ppg, 4.5 rpg, team-leading 62 assists & 14 steals
5          Marcus Dockery                       16.8 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 44 3FGM & 43-percent 3FG%
7          Blake Harper                             18.8 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 52 assists, 18 steals & 82-percent FT%
3          Jaren Johnson                           4.8 rpg, 2.9 rpg & 29 assists
 
HOWARD KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                                      2024-25 Stats                                                                        
15        Cameron Shockley-Okeke      8.9 ppg, 29 3FGM & 48-percent 3FG%
4          Miles Stewart                            4.2 ppg, 2.1 rpg & 58-percent FG% & nine blocks
 
COPPIN STATE PROBABLE STARTERS
 
No.      Name                                      2024-25 Stats                                                                        
10        Cameron Sparrow                    5.0 ppg & 2.8 rpg
2          Toby Nnadozie                         10.8 ppg, 3.0 rpg, 27 3FGM & 38 steals
6          Julius Ellerbe                             9.7 ppg & 5.6 rpg
13        Jonathan Dunn                          9.1 ppg & 5.6 rpg 
12        Peter Odero                              7.8 ppg & 3.7 rpg,
 
COPPIN STATE KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                                      2024-25 Stats                                                                        
4          Khali Horton                             6.3 ppg & 2.4 rpg  
3          Cam'Ron Brown                       3.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg & team-high 39 assists 
 
MEAC STATS
 
HOWARD
 
The Bison lead the MEAC in three-point shooting (40-percent), three pointers made per game (8.7) and assists (17.0).
 
Individually, freshman guard Blake Harper (Washington) leads the conference in rebounding, third in scoring and minutes played, fourth in assist/turnover and free throw shooting (83-percent), seventh in assists, fifth in field goal percentage (44-percent) and 11^th in steals….Dockery again leads the MEAC in three pointers made (2.7 per game) and three-point shooting (44-percent), fourth in scoring and sixth in field goal percentage (46-percent)…graduate guard Joshua Strong (Minneapolis) is fifth in three pointers made per game (2.0 per game)…Gill is third in assists (3.7) and seventh in assists/turnover ratio…redshirt junior forward Ayodele Taiwo (Lagos, Nigeria) is eighth in blocked shots.
 
COPPIN STATE
 
Individually, Toby Nnadozie leads the MEAC in steals and ninth in minutes played…Justin Ellerbe fifth in rebounding and eighth in minutes played.
 
GAME NOTES
 
COPPIN STATE
 
Coppin State has had problems on both offense and defense, averaging less than 60 points per game on offense and have only one starter averaging in double figures…Defensively, Coppin State is surrendering 78 points a contest and have aided their opponents, giving up 17 points a game off turnovers…Eagles opponents are averaging 5.4 blocked shots against them...leading scorer Derrius Ward (15 points per game) has not played in the past 12 games.
 
HOWARD
 
Blake Harper has established himself as one of the top freshmen in the country…The 6-foot-8 first-year Bison from Gonzaga HS College in Washington, D.C. was named MEAC Player of the Week Monday (Jan. 6), marking the first time that a HU freshman has won the award since Jan. 2018 (R.J. Cole)…Harper has been named the conference rookie of the week nine times this season...in the past four games, he has equaled his career-high 34 points twice, connecting on 33-of-57 from the field, including 8-of-13 from three-point range and 33-of-39 from the charity stripe…Dockery is quietly having his best all-around season in a Bison uniform while continuing to be the premier long ball shooter in the conference for the third straight season…Dockery's other areas of his game that he has flourished: shooting 46-percent from the field; 43-percent from downtown and 87-percent from the charity stripe…Dockery has improved his playmaking skills as he is scheduled to set a new career high in assists...graduate guard Cameron Shockley-Okeke (Norwalk, Conn.) has come on strong for Howard during its recent surge in scoring, connecting on 9-of-13 from three-point range, including a career-high 24 points in the win over Delaware State (Jan. 4)…in the past two games, Shockley-Okeke has 35 points and nine rebounds off the bench...graduate forward Jaren Johnson (Lynwood, Calif.) has also stepped up as he had his best showing versus Delaware State (Jan. 4) with a season-high 12 points and six assists...in the past two games, Johnson has 22 points and 11 assists and 12-for-12 from the free throw line...redshirt junior forward Miles Stewart (Orlando, Fla.) also continues to play well off the bench...Stewart played a key role in the win over Morgan State (Jan. 11) with 13 points, four rebounds and two blocks in 22 minutes of play…The Bison are averaging almost 19 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 their miscues…The shorthanded Bison continue to play without the services of Strong, senior guard Bryce Harris (Brentwood, N.Y.), the MEAC Player of the Year, starting junior forward Dom Campbell (Scarborough, Maine), and junior reserve forward Ose Okojie (Brampton, Canada) and their availabilities are unknown at press time.
 
NEXT UP
 
Coppin State hosts Cheyney Thursday (Jan. 16) at 11 a.m., while the Bison step out of MEAC play when it hosts Bowie State Wednesday (Jan. 15) at 7 p.m., inside The Burr.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.