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Orangeburg, SC-January 21---Carrio Bennett scored 9 of his 11 points in the second half and reserve Julius Carter tallied all 9 of his points after intermission to help South Carolina State hold off Howard, 60-58 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's basketball game that was televised nationally on ESPNU.

The Bison (4-14 overall, 1-3 in the MEAC) controlled the tempo through most of the game and led 27-21 at the half.  Freshman forward Adam Walker was the catalyst for Howard as he scored 8 points and grabbed 8 rebounds.

HU was able to sustain the lead and increase it to 38-29 at the 14:24 mark of the second half.  Then Bennett and Carter fueled a 16-6 run over a five-minute stretch that gave SC State (6-12 overall, 2-2 in the MEAC) its first lead at 45-44.  The Bison tied the game at 46-all on a layup by Jeron Smith.  The Bennett converted two free throws and drained a three pointer to give the Bulldogs the lead for good at 51-46.

Howard was able to stay close on the scoring on junior forward Randy Hampton, who scored 10 of his 12 points in the seconds half.  But Carter's five points in the last two minutes were just enough to eke out the win for SC State.

The game featured some early cold shooting by both teams and an unusual number of free throw attempts.  The Bulldogs shot 24 percent and the Bison countered with 27 percent shooting in the first half.

The two teams combined for 67 free throw attempts.  Howard was again hurt by its lack of success from beyond the arc as it missed 8 of 9.  On the season, the Bison are shooting at a 23 percent clip.

Walker had the best game of his young career, recording his first double of 16 points and 12 rebounds.  Hampton finished with 12 while sophomore guard Curtis White contributed 10.  Leading scorer Eugene Myatt, who averages 15 points per game, was limited to five after getting into early foul trouble.

SC State was led by Jason Johnson's 13 points, Bennett with 11 and Carter and Jessie Burton with 9 each.

NEXT UP:  Howard will try to get its second conference win when it hosts Morgan State University on Saturday at 4 pm while the Bulldogs will travel to Daytona Beach, FL to take on the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University at 4 pm on Saturday.