WASHINGTON (January 20, 2025) - It turned into a carbon copy of the last game when the Howard University men's basketball team fell behind double digits against Bowie State Wednesday (Jan. 15) and rallied to take the lead only to lose again on a deciding shot in the final seconds. This time, it was Jaden Gray who scored his team's last three points to give Morehouse College a 79-76 win over HU in the annual MLK Day Classic at Burr Gymnasium before a packed house.
 
The Bison, who have played most of the season with a rash of injuries and concussions to key players, started their 13^th different lineup this season. Already playing without three starters for the past 10 games, Howard lost yet two others to illness and it played a huge role in the defeat.  Starting point guard graduate Anwar Gill (Washington), the team leader in assists and steals, and senior forward Mounir Hima (Tillaberi, Niger) both joined the growing list, joining senior guard Bryce Harris (Brentwood, N.Y.), the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Preseason Player of the Year, junior forward Dom Campbell (Scarborough, Maine) and starting guard graduate Joshua Strong (Minneapolis).
 
The Maroon Tigers took advantage early, often knocking down three-pointers at 45-percent and opening a 17-point lead in the first 10 minutes.
 
Howard, one of the top three-point shooting teams in NCAA Division I (45-percent), had problems finding the basket as they missed on 16-of-19 from beyond the arc.
 
The Maroon Tigers had perhaps one of their best shooting performances of the season, knocking down treys regularly to keep Howard off balance on defense.
 
The Bison twice tried to get the deficit to double digits on three different occasions near the end of the first half, but each time, Gray, Cedric Taylor III or Sincere Key repelled their attempts with key baskets.
 
Morehouse led, 40-28, at intermission.
 
Howard caught fire and used an 11-0 run, fueled by senior guard Marcus Dockery (Washington), graduate forward Cameron Shockley-Okeke (Norwalk, Conn.) and freshman guard Blake Harper (Washington) to take the lead, 65-63, on a Jaren Johnson (Lynwood, Calif.) drive to the basket. The Bison were able to extend their lead at the 9:42 mark of the second half, but the Maroon Tigers countered with a run of their own and did not allow the Bison a cushion.
 
The two went back-and-forth until Gray made the deciding plays down the stretch, scoring eight of his team's last 10 points, including the deciding points.

The Bison had an attempt to tie but they missed on a three-point attempt as the clock ran out and Howard dropped its second straight at home.
 
Dockery led all scorers with 28 points on 11-of-18 shooting while grabbing six rebounds. Shockley-Okeke added 16 points but missed 15-of-21 shots taken.
 
Harper, who came into the game as the league's leading scorer and rebounder, got off to a slow start, but provided a spark in the second half as he finished with 13 points, six rebounds and eight assists.
 
Johnson contributed 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists while logging a season-high 40 minutes.
 
Morehouse (9-8) got balanced scoring from Gray (team-high 22 points), Key (15 points), Taylor (14 points) and Amahn Decker (11 points).
 
Howard (8-11) came into the game, shooting 45-percent from downtown, but on this night, it managed only 9-of-35 for a season-low 25-percent. 
 
NEXT UP: Howard returns to conference play Saturday (Jan. 25) when it travels to Norfolk, Va., to take on rival Norfolk State at 12:30 p.m., live on ESPNU.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.