Dover, DE-February 11—Darren Shine scored all 10 of his points in the second half and Joe Dickens added 10 of his team-high 14 after intermission to help Delaware State get by Howard, 59-50 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men’s game at Memorial Hall. The loss was the 13th straight for the Bison (2-19 overall, 1-11 in the MEAC) while the Hornets (13-11 overall, 11-1 in the MEAC) moved another step closer in their quest to capture the regular season crown and secure the top seed in the MEAC Tournament, March 6-11 in Raleigh, NC.
The game was a closely contested. The Hornets led 21-19 at halftime in a slow down affair where fast breaks were an afterthought and 35-second clock use turned into an art form.
But both teams opened up offensively in the second half as Darryl Hudson, the Bison’s leading scorer got loose and tallied 18 of his game-high 20 points to keep the game close.
The Hornets were able to counter early with Dickens and Jahsha Bluntt (12 points) taking turns.
But the outcome of the game was decided in the final three minutes when Shine, who also had 4 rebounds, 4 assists and 3 steals, made some key baskets and passes that proved to be the difference.
Adding to the Bison’s woes was their inability to score at times. It happened again, this time when they failed to get a field goal for more than four minutes. With the game still hanging in the balance, Howard contributed to its defeat by turning the ball over or missing what would appear to be some easy shots at close range.
Delaware State shot 61 percent (16 of 26) in the second half while the Bison shot a more-than-respectable 52 percent (11 of 21). But there is one key stat in this evenly matched game that could have been the difference: DSU won the points-in-the-paint battle, 36-16.
Will Gant came off the bench to score 10 points for Howard, but no other player reached double figures.
NEXT UP: Howard hosts Bethune-Cookman College on Saturday, February 18 at 4 p.m. in the first of a four-game home stretch while the Hornets will try to move a step closer to the title when they host Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m.
GAME STAT: Ten of Howard’s 13 losses are by an average of less than 5 points.