NORFOLK, Va. (March 5, 2026) --- Junior guard Cam Gillus (Falls Church, Va.) scored a team-high 22 points to lead five Bison in double figures as the Howard University men's basketball team pulled away for a hard-fought 84-76 win over Norfolk State (NSU) in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) clash at Joseph E. Echols Hall.
 
The victory secured the top seed for the Bison, who will take six-game win streak into the upcoming MEAC Tournament in Norfolk, Va. (March 11-14).
 
HU (21-10, 11-3 MEAC) used the same formula that has been effective during the current win streak. But the Spartans (15-16, 8-6 MEAC), the defending MEAC Champs, were determined to not let Howard steal their thunder at home on Senior Night.
 
Both squads battled to a 39-39 draw at the half. For the game, there were nine lead changes and six ties.
 
But as been proven in recent games, the Bison have lots of firepower and balance and it was the difference down the stretch.
 
Gillus, normally the setup man who leads the team in assists, showed that he cannot be left out as a contributor to the attack as the hosts found out tonight. The junior transfer from Lehigh connected on 7-of-8 shooting from floor, including a perfect 4-of-4 from downtown and the foul line. Moreover, he did not commit a turnover and added four assists.
 
If there were any doubts about who is the MEAC Player of the Year, they were removed with another one of brilliant performances by Bryce Harris (Brentwood, N.Y.). The 6-foot-4 graduate guard scored 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including an unblemished 2-of-2 from beyond the arc, and seven rebounds. The New York native ends the regular season as the conference's top scorer and rebounder.
 
Ose Okojie (Brampton, Canada), a senior guard who has missed most of the last two seasons due to injury, also played a quiet but pivotal role as he contributed 12 points on 3-of-5 shooting.
 
Junior guard Cedric Taylor III (Atlanta), who has been on a tear of late, did not put up your usual numbers but he still proved to be a factor, tallying 11 points, six rebounds and a block.
 
We would be remiss if we did not talk about the contributions of the team's best outside bomber, junior guard Alex Cotton (Carrollton, Texas). The transfer from North Texas rounded out the balanced attack with 10 points, including 3-of-8 from his specialty area, the three-point arc.
 
And just for good measure, sophomore forward Travelle Bryson (Anderson, S.C.) and redshirt freshman guard Isaiah Brown (Ramsey, N.J.) combined for 10 points off the Howard bench.
 
For the game, Norfolk State was able to stay close by holding a dominating 54-26 advantage in the paint and a 25-11 bench advantage over the Bison. NSU was led by Devon Ellis with a team-high 22 points, Elijah Jamison with 15 points off the bench and Anthony McComb III with 14 points.
 
But Howard countered with some hot shooting, 52-percent from the floor (26-of-50), 54- percent (12-of-22) from the three-point area and 20-of-26 (77-percent) from the charity stripe.
 
NEXT UP: By virtue of the top seed, Howard will play Friday (March 13) in the MEAC Semifinals because Coppin State is ineligible, leaving the tournament field with seven teams. The schedule will be released tomorrow.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.