WASHINGTON (January 3, 2025) – Howard University men's basketball team begins Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play Saturday night (Jan. 4) against Delaware State (DSU). Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m., live on ESPNU.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
 
Bison Nation can follow all the action via live stats and/or ESPNU.
 
GAME 15
 
PARTICIPANTS: Delaware State (Hornets) at Howard (Bison)
DATE: January 4, 2025
TIME:  8 p.m.
LOCATION: Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C.
 
LAST TIMEOUT
 
HOWARD
 
On New Year's Day (Jan. 1), senior guard Marcus Dockery (Washington) scored a team-high 17 points and fellow D.C. native freshman standout Blake Harper added 16 points but the Bison got little else, falling, 93-65, at Yale in a nonconference matchup.
 
DSU
 
Delaware State (7-7) dropped a 76-58 decision to Saint Joe's on the road to snap a four-game win streak. The Hornets were led by Kaseem Watson (23 points), reserve Martaz Robinson (13 points & seven rebounds) and Muneer Newton, who contributed 10 points off the bench.
 
SERIES RECORD
 
This is the 30^th meeting between the two schools since the 2004-05 season with the series tied over that span, 15-15.
 
Howard won last year's contest, 70-67, in the MEAC Tournament final (March 16, 2024) in Norfolk, Va. The Bison have won seven-in-a-row. The Hornets last won, 100-88, in D.C. (March 5, 2020).
 
THE COACHES
 
Delaware State is coached by Stan Waterman (Delaware, '89), who is in his fourth season with the Hornets' program. Howard is led by Kenneth Blakeney (Duke, '95), who is in his sixth season and has led the Bison to two straight MEAC Tournament titles and NCAA appearances.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
 
HOWARD PROBABLE STARTERS
 
No.      Name                                      2024-25 Stats                                                                        
23        Mounir Hima                          0.6 ppg, 1.4 rpg & four blocked shots
1          Anwar Gill                               9.1 ppg, 4.6 rpg & team-leading 49 assists
5          Marcus Dockery                      16.1 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 39 3FGM & 43-percent 3FG%
7          Blake Harper                           17.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg, 44 assists, 17 steals & 80-percent FT%
3          Jaren Johnson                         7.2 rpg, 2.8 rpg & 87-percent from FT%
 
HOWARD KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                                      2024-25 Stats                                                                        
15        Cameron Shockley-Okeke      7.6 ppg & 43-percent 3FG%
8          Joshua Strong                           6.6 rpg, 2.5 rpg, 53-percent 3FG% & 25 3FGM
 
DSU PROBABLE STARTERS
 
No.      Name                                      2024-25 Stats                                                                        
11        Kaseem Watson                     13.3 ppg, 5.8 rpg & team-high 16 steals
25        Muneer Newton                     6.7 ppg & 4.9 rpg 
2          Corey Perkins                          7.3 ppg, 1.8 rpg, team-high 45 assists & 86-percent FT%
0          Robert Smith                          14.2 ppg, 3.3 rpg & 25 3FGM
1          Alston Andrews                      3.8 ppg & 4.8 rpg
 
DSU KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                                      2024-25 Stats                                                                        
3          Martaz Robinson                    15.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg & 83-percent FT%
24        Raymond Somerville              2.9 ppg, 2.8 & team-high 54-percent FG%
 
MEAC STATS
 
HOWARD
 
Overall, the Bison lead the MEAC in three-point shooting (39-percent), three pointers made per game (8.6) and assists (16.7).
 
Individually, Harper leads the conference in rebounding, third in scoring, second in minutes played, fourth in assist/turnover, fifth in free throw shooting, sixth in assists, seventh in field goal percentage (44-percent) and 10^th in steals…Dockery again leads the MEAC in three pointers made (2.8 per game) and fifth in both scoring and field goal percentage (46-percent)…Graduate guard Joshua Strong (Minneapolis) is fifth in three pointers made per game (2.0)…Graduate guard Anwar Gill (Washington) is fifth in assists (3.5) and seventh in assists/turnover ratio…Redshirt junior forward Ayodele Taiwo (Lagos, Nigeria) is seventh in blocked shots.
 
DELAWARE STATE
 
As a team, Delaware State leads the MEAC in team offensive rebounds (14.1) and rebounding margin (plus 3.5).
 
Individually, Robinson is second in rebounding, seventh in scoring and fourth in free throw shooting (83-percent)…Watson is sixth in field goal percentage (44-percent), eighth in steals and 10^th in scoring…Smith is fourth in three pointers made per game (2.1), sixth in assist/turnover ratio, eight in assists and ninth in field goal percentage (39-percent). Perkins leads the conference in assist/turnover ratio, third in assist and ninth in steals…Somerville ranks fifth in blocked shots.
 
GAME NOTES
 
HORNET STINGS
 
Robinson has scored in double figures in all but one game this season…Robinson has recorded a career-high 30 points versus Virginia Tech and has two double-doubles…The Hornets are the top rebounding team in the conference…Offensively, they are averaging 73 points per contest and defensively have been a problem as they are averaging almost nine steals per game.
 
BISON NOTES
 
Harper has established himself as one of the top freshmen in the country, being named MEAC Rookie of the Week eight straight times this season...Harper has also recorded a triple-double, the first in school history, and a double-double at nationally ranked Cincinnati (Dec. 8) and a career-high 34 points at Hampton (Dec. 28)...Harper leads the team and MEAC in several statistical categories and ranks in the Top 5 in several others…Dockery is having his best all-around season in a Bison uniform…Dockery recently scored the 1,000 career points versus Drexel (Dec. 17)…he missed his first free throw attempt of the season at Hampton (Dec. 28), but still shooting over 93-percent (14-of-15) from the charity stripe…Dockery is one of the best three-point shooters in the country, shooting over 40-percent during his productive career…The shorthanded Bison, who played only eight players in the game at Hampton (Dec. 28), have played the last seven 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…Adding to their woes, Strong did not suit up at Yale (Jan. 1)…The status of the aforementioned for this game is unknown…The Bison are averaging almost 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 their miscues…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 coming from beyond the arc.
 
NEXT UP
 
Delaware State returns to Dover, Del., to host Norfolk State Monday (Jan. 6) at 7:30 p.m., while the Bison travel to Princess Anne, Md., to take on the Hawks of the Maryland Eastern Shore Monday (Jan. 6) at 8 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.