Bison Win Fourth Straight
Greensboro, NC, March 1---Will Gant scored 11 of his game-high 17 points in the second half-- including two clutch three pointers-- as Howard University defeated North Carolina A&T, 58-50 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s game at Corbett Sports Arena. The win was the fourth straight for the streaking Bison (6-20 overall, 5-12 in the MEAC).
Howard took an early lead and controlled the tempo through much of the first half. Senior guard Louis Ford led the way with 7 points while junior guard Darek “Skip” Mitchell contributed 6 off the bench.
Then the Aggies (6-21 overall, 6-11 in the MEAC) rallied on the long-range shooting of Walter Booth, who hit on all four of his three-point attempts, the last one cutting the Howard deficit to 45-44 with a little over three minutes remaining.
On the Bison’s ensuing possession, NC A&T played aggressive defense for 32 seconds. With the shot clock winding down, Ford found Gant on the right wing and 6-2 junior guard launched a shot from 25 feet that hit the bottom of the net.
The Aggies turned the ball over on their next possession and again Gant delivered, this time from the left wing, giving his team some breathing room at 51-44.
“We are beginning to play together as a team,” explained Gant. “We are shooting the ball well and we are sharing the ball. That is the difference.”
Howard shot 53 percent (8 of 15) in the second half. Ford was instrumental as he finished with 11 points, 6 assists and 3 steals. Junior forward Jason Trotter added 9 points and 6 rebounds.
The Aggies were led by Jason Wills (15 points, 11 coming in the first half and Booth.
GAME NOTES: The Bison have not won four in a row since 2002…the six victories eclipses last year’s total of five…the Bison were credited with 16 assists on 20 field goals…this was Howard’s first road win of the season…these two teams could meet in the MEAC play-in round as the eighth and ninth seeds.
NEXT UP: NC A&T closes out its regular season at SC State on Saturday while the Bison travel to Princess Anne, MD to play the Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday at 4 p.m.