Bison Plagued by Turnovers in Loss
Howard Hurt By Turnovers in Loss To Coppin
Washington, DC-January 27-It was a case of too many costly turnovers as Howard University dropped a 62-59 decision to Coppin State University in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's game at Burr Gymnasium.
Howard (7-13 overall, 3-5 in the MEAC) led by four at halftime and at one point held an 8-point lead before a combination of some scrappy defense by the Eagles (5-15 overall, 3-5 in the MEAC) unraveled the Bison down the stretch.
"We have to find a way to change the culture of our team, " said Howard head coach Gil Jackson, whose team has dropped five of its last six. "We try to play point guard by committee. Dominique (Davis) does a good job on defense. Jeron (Smith) does something great and then turns around and does something that hurts us. And Julius (Hearn) is young kid who has to learn how to play the position at this level. The point guard play has to become more consistent."
The game slowed down to a crawl as the two teams used the 35-second clock on nearly every possession. In addition to the turnovers (12 in the second half), Howard committed numerous fouls, and at one point, it was 11-1. Coppin State took advantage, hitting on 11 of 16 from the charity stripe while the Bison shot only three after intermission.
Darryl Hudson recorded another double double (11 points, 10 rebounds), but scored only four points after the break.
"We tend to lose focus at times," said Hudson, who scored in double figures for the 29th time the past 31 games. "We have to believe we're going to win by playing smart and staying focused. We do it in spurts, but we have to become more consistent."
Will Gant led the Bison with 12 points, all coming on three pointers, but no other Howard player reached double figures.
Coppin State was led Tywain McKee and Antwan Harrison, who each had 13 and Ruben Britt, who chipped in with 12.
NEXT UP: Coppin State will attempt to run its win streak to three when it travels to Princess Anne, MD to take on Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday at 7:30 pm while the Bison hopes to halt their current skid in a home contest against rival Morgan State University on Monday at 8 pm in Burr Gymnasium.