Williams Again Proves To Be Too Much in B-CC Win Over Howard
Washington, DC, February 18-Michael Williams, III scored 10 of his 16 points in the second half and one-time starter Anis Taylor came off the bench to score 12 of his team-high 17 points after intermission as Bethune-Cookman downed Howard, 72-57 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game at Burr Gymnasium.
The win kept the Wildcats (13-12 overall, 9-5 in the MEAC), who are having their best season in years, in the hunt for the conference second seed with four games left on their schedule while the Bison (2-20 overall, 1-12 in the MEAC) dropped their 14th straight.
The game was a carbon copy of many of Howard's losses during this stretch: The Bison play competitively, exchange leads and stay close until the final minutes of the game when the opponent makes the plays and Howard does not.
"We were right there until we began to make some key turnovers," said Howard first-year head coach Gil Jackson. "Then we seem to panic and well."
The Bison's woes were compounded by the loss of senior point guard Louis Ford and senior forward James McBryde, who both sat out due "academic discipline" said Jackson. He added that Ford, who ranks third on the team in scoring, first in assists and in steals and McBryde, the team's sixth leading scorer, will both be eligible for the Florida A&M University game on Monday at home.
Williams, a 6-7, 210-pound senior from College Park, GA, has had some of his best games at the Bison's expense. Last year, he scored 24 points in a win over Howard in Washington, DC and earlier in January, he tallied 21 of his game-high 27 points in the second half to help B-CC edge the Bison, 67-64 in Daytona Beach, FL.
"The offense and defense starts with Williams," explained B-CC head coach Cliff Reed. "It is a luxury to have a big man who can score around the basket and at the same time set up his teammates." Williams hit on 8 of 13 from the field while adding 9 rebounds, 3 assists and 4 steals in 27 minutes.
His presence allowed Sam Barber (14 points), Antonio Webb (14 points) and Taylor to pace the attack as the Wildcats shot 57 percent in the second half. Webb played his prep ball at Paul IV.
The Bison got a career-high 22 points from Jason Trotter to go along with 10 rebounds, but no other Howard player reached double figures.
"Howard is obviously a different teamwithout Ford," said Reed. He plays a lot of minutes and makes things happen for them on both the offensive and defensive end."
NEXT UP: The Wildcats will try to continue their current streak when they travel to Princess Anne, MD to take on the Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday at 7:30 p.m. while the Bison host the Rattlers of Florida A&M University on Monday at 4 p.m. in the second of four straight home games.