WASHINGTON (January 31, 2025) – Howard University men's basketball team closes out its nonconference slate Saturday (Feb. 1) against rival Hampton in the next chapter of the Battle of the Real HU. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m.
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GAME 21
EVENT: Battle of the Real HU, Part II
PARTICIPANTS: Hampton (Pirates) vs Howard (Bison)
DATE: February 1, 2025
TIME: 3 p.m.
LOCATION: Sports & Entertainment Arena in SE Washington, D.C.
WHEN THE TWO MET EARLIER IN THE SEASON
On Dec. 28, 2024, freshman guard
Blake Harper (Washington) poured a career-high 34 points, but the short-handed Bison fell, 83-67, at Hampton in the HBCU Showcase.
Hampton was led in scoring by former Howard guard Wayne Bristol Jr., with 18 points.
LAST TIMEOUT
HOWARD
Saturday (Jan. 25), playing shorthanded with only seven Bison in uniform, Howard battled and hung tough in the first half, but in the end, Norfolk State was able to pull away with a 90-75 win at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall, live on ESPNU. Graduate forward
Cameron Shockley-Okeke (Norwalk, Conn.), who has been thrust into a role as a starter, led the Bison with 19 points.
HAMPTON
Hampton (10-12) is coming off a 78-69 home loss to Northeastern Thursday (Jan. 30) for its third straight setback. The Pirates were led by George Beale Jr. (19 points) and Tyler Rice II (11 points), who combined for 30 points off the bench.
SERIES RECORD
This is the 29
th meeting between the two teams since 2005. The two rivals met earlier and the Pirates prevailed, 92-75. Hampton has won three-of-the-last-four.
THE COACHES
Hampton is coached by Ivan Thomas (VCU, '99), who is in his first season. Howard is led 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.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
HOWARD PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Name 2024-25 Stats
15
Cameron Shockley-Okeke 11.2 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 48-percent 3FG% & 48 3FGM
3
Jaren Johnson 5.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg & 88-percent FT%
5
Marcus Dockery 17.5 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 40 assists, 14 steals & 43-percent 3FG%
7
Blake Harper 18.6 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 71 assists, 20 steals & 82-percent FT%
21
Calvin Robins Jr. 2.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg & 56-percent FG%
HOWARD KEY RESERVES
No. Name 2024-25 Stats
1
Anwar Gill 8.9 ppg, 4.6 rpg & team-leading 78 assists
4
Miles Stewart 4.0 rpg, 2.5 rpg, 10 blocked shots & 60-percent FG%
8
Joshua Strong 6.6 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 25 3FGM & 90-percent FT%
HAMPTON PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Name 2024-25 Stats
10 Richard Goods 3.5 ppg & 4.2 rpg
5 Ettienne Strothers 4.4 ppg & 2.1 rpg
25 Xavier Long 6.7 ppg, 4.7 rpg & team-high 18 blocks
1 Noah Farrakhan 12.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg, team-high 27 steals & 57 assists
13 Daniel Johnson 7.9 ppg & 2.9 rpg
HAMPTON KEY RESERVES
No. Name 2024-25 Stats
0 George Beale Jr. 13.0 ppg, 2.3 rpg & team-leading 38 3FGM
31 Wayne Bristol Jr. 7.5 ppg & 4.0 rpg
12 Tyler Rice II 4.0 ppg & 1.0 rpg
CONFERENCE STATS
HOWARD
The Bison lead the MEAC in three-point shooting (40-percent), three-pointers made per game (8.9) and assists (17.3).
Individually, Harper leads the conference in rebounding (6.8), second in scoring (18.6 ppg), third in minutes played, fourth in assists (3.6) and free throw shooting (84-percent), fifth in assists/turnover ratio and seventh in field goal shooting (46-percent)...senior guard
Marcus Dockery (Washington) again leads the MEAC in three-pointers made (2.8 per game), three-point shooting (45-percent) and minutes played (34.7 per game) and fourth in scoring (17.5 ppg) and field goal shooting (49-percent)…Shockley-Okeke is second in three-pointers made (2.4)…graduate guard
Joshua Strong (Minneapolis) is sixth in three-pointers made per game (2.0 per game)…graduate guard
Anwar Gill (Washington) leads the conference in assists (4.3), fifth in minutes played and seventh in assists/turnover ratio…redshirt junior forward
Ayodele Taiwo (Lagos, Nigeria) is eighth in blocked shots.
HAMPTON
The Pirates lead the CAA in steals.
Individually, Noah Farrakhan is 10
th in steals.
NCAA STATS
Howard is ranked fifth in the nation in three-point shooting (40-percent) and 17
th in assists.
Individually, Dockery is 29
th in three-pointers per game (2.9)…Harper ranks fourth among all freshmen in scoring and one of a few to have recorded a triple-double this season.
GAME NOTES
PIRATE NOTES
Hampton has dropped seven-of-its-last-nine since defeating Howard earlier in the season…The Pirates are outrebounding their opponents (+3.1 per game) and recording 3.5 blocks per contest…On the season, Hampton is averaging 72 points but has only averaged 65 points in its past two losses…Bristol formerly played for the Bison and was the MEAC Rookie of the Year before transferring to Georgetown and now Hampton.
BISON NOTES
Harper has established himself as one of the top freshmen in the country, winning MEAC Rookie of the Week 12 times this season…A rarity in the conference, he holds the honor of having been named the MEAC Player of the Week, along with his growing list of accolades....in MEAC play, Harper is leading the conference with 24.3 points and 7.0 rebounds...Harper also holds the distinction of being rank fourth among all freshmen in scoring in the NCAA Division I behind Ace Bailey and Bryce Harper of Rutgers and Cooper Flagg of Duke…Harper is one of a handful of Division I players to have recorded a triple-double this season…Dockery is quietly having his best all-around season in a Bison uniform, continuing to be the premier long ball shooter in the conference for the third straight season…Docker has flourished in other areas: shooting a career-best 46-percent from the field; 43-percent from three-point land and 84-percent from the charity stripe…Dockery is scheduled to set a new career high in assists...Dockery ranks No. 19 in the country in three-point field shooting percentage…Shockley-Okeke has come on strong for Howard during its recent surge in scoring, averaging over 20 points in the past four games while connecting on 28-of-46 from the field, including 20-of-36 from down…Shockley-Okeke recorded a career-high 27 points in the loss to Bowie State (Jan. 15)…graduate guard
Jaren Johnson (Lynwood, Calif.) has also stepped up in the past five games with 34 points, 17 assists and converted on 17-of-20 from the free throw line…Johnson had a season-high 12 points and six assists in the win over Delaware State (Jan. 4)…The Bison are averaging almost 18 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 18 points a contest off their miscues and last in assists/turnover ratio in the MEAC…The shorthanded Bison continue to play without the services of Strong, senior guard
Bryce Harris (Brentwood, N.Y.), the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, starting junior forward
Dom Campbell (Scarborough, Maine) and junior reserve forward
Ose Okojie (Brampton, Canada), who combine for almost 30 points and 20 rebounds among them and their availabilities are unknown…The Bison's woes were compounded without the services of Gill, who leads the conference in assists, and starting senior forward
Mounir Hima (Tillaberi, Niger), who both sat out with illnesses the past two games…Howard has now played with 11 different starting lineups, the most in the past 10 years…Dockery, who is a member of the 1,000-point club at Howard with 1,155 points, is currently ranked third on the school all-time list for three pointers made in a career behind
Charles "CJ" Williams and
Ron Williamson.
NEXT UP
Howard returns to MEAC action when it hosts South Carolina State Monday (Feb. 3) at 7:30 p.m., inside The Burr.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.
