WASHINGTON — Howard University suffered a tough home loss Tuesday against conference rival Morgan State, 89-86.
With the setback, HU fell to 7-11 (1-3 MEAC) while the Bears moved to 7-10 (2-2 MEAC).
With under seven minutes remaining, sophomore forward Zion Cousins (Upper Marlboro, Md.) connected on an elbow jumper and gave HU its largest lead of the contest, 65-53.
Gradually, the Bears chipped away and sent the game into overtime after a game-tying layup from Kyson Rawls.
In overtime, Morgan outlasted the Bison in overtime and gave Howard its third home loss of the season.
“It’s a tough loss,” said Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry after the game. “I feel bad for the guys. We had the ball in the right guy’s hands, but we missed some free throws down the stretch.”
Both squads went to the charity stripe 27 times; however, the Bears shot nearly 93 percent (25-of-27) while Howard made 67 percent (18-of-27).
Sophomore junior Charles Williams (Richmond, Va.) had a game-high 25 points and seven boards while redshirt Chad Lott (Shreveport, La.) added 24 points and five rebounds.
“We did enough to win,” Nickelberry said. “We did what we needed [to win]. Unfortunately, we didn’t make the plays down the stretch.”
Cousins had his best all-around perform, racking up 15 points, eight rebounds and two blocks, whereas sophomore RJ Cole (Union, N.J.) netted 12 points and six boards in the loss.
Morgan State had three Bears in double figures, led by Stanley Davis with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Saturday (Jan. 19), Howard travels to Orangeburg, S.C., where the South Carolina State Bulldogs await. Tipoff at 4 p.m.
Two days later (Jan. 21), the Bison host Harvard on Martin Luther King Day. Game-time is slated for 1 p.m. inside The Burr.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.