WASHINGTON (February 8, 2025) – Senior guard Marcus Dockery (Washington) scored a game-high 21 points and freshman standout Blake Harper (Washington) added 18 points but it was an outstanding effort from the reserves that helped the Howard University men's basketball team hold off North Carolina Central (NCCU),82-78, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown at Burr Gymnasium.
 
The win snaps a five-game losing skid for the Bison, who improved to 9-14 overall (4-2 MEAC).
 
Howard took control early and maintained a small margin through most of the first half as Dockery, Harper and fellow D.C. native graduate guard Anwar Gill accounted for 29 of their team points.
 
The Bison led, 35-31, at intermission, following a late spurt by the Eagles.
 
Howard came out of the locker room and reeled off a run that saw their lead grow to 20 points, 63-43, at the 10:41 mark of the second half. The rally was fueled by bench scoring from graduates Joshua Strong (Minneapolis) and Jaren Johnson (Lynwood, Calif.) and rookie Calvin Robins Jr. (Chicago), who combined to score 18 of the team's points during the run.
 
Then, the Eagles rallied with a blitz of their own to whittle the lead to five points, 76-71, with 1:44 left. Reserves Kelech Okworogwo, Keishon Porter, Jaquai Murray and Aquan Smart came off the NCCU bench to account for 25 of the Eagles points during their comeback.
 
With the game on the line, the Bison turned to Dockery, Harper and Strong and they produced to secure the win. First, Dockery made a tough reverse move to the basket, but NCCU came right back with an Isaac Parson three-pointer, 78-74. Harper, who was shackled with foul trouble through most of the game, made one-of-two free throws, 79-78. On the Bison's ensuing possession, Gill missed a close-range shot but Strong hustled and was able to secure the ball with 2.2 seconds remaining. The graduate guard calmly sank both free throws and Howard was able to come away with a hard-earned victory.
 
Gill finished with 12 points and four assists.
 
As important as the bench production was, it was the individual play of redshirt junior forward Ayodele Taiwo (Lagos, Nigeria), who had his best game in a Bison uniform. He just missed a rare double-double (11 blocks & nine rebounds). The 11 blocks was the second-most in a game in school history.
 
The Eagles were led by Po'Boigh King, who scored all 16 of his points in the first half. Porter chipped in with 15 points and Okworogwo had 13 points off the bench in 14 minutes of play.
 
NEXT UP: Howard will look to extend its win streak when it travels to Princess Anne, Md., to play the Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore Monday (Feb. 10) at 8 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.