Myatt, White Combine To Lead Howard To Big Win Over Oregon State
Washington, D.C. - Eugene Myatt scored nine of his 13 points in the second half and Curtis White came off the bench to tally 13 as Howard defeated Oregon State, 47-45 in a non-conference opener at Burr Gymnasium.
The game was hotly contested throughout with neither team leading by more than eight points. The Bison (1-0) appeared to get some breathing room at the 8:36 mark of the second half when Paul Kirkpatrick scored on a dunk after a nice feed from White (13 points, 5 assists) to give Howard the biggest lead of the game at 40-32.
But the Beavers (0-1) went on a 9-2 run over the next six minutes to get within 42-41 with 2:43 remaining. Myatt then canned an important three pointer to make the score, 45-41 at the 1:54 mark.
Daniel Deane followed with a strong drive to the basket to reduce the Oregon State deficit to 45-43. Freshman guard Chris McHenry of Howard made one of two free throws but Josh Tarver countered with two free throws to make the score, 46-45 with 24 ticks on the clock.
Then came one of the biggest plays of the game. After White missed the front end of a one-and-one free throw attempt, Oregon State had a chance to take the lead. But Deane was called for traveling and the Bison got possession with 10 seconds remaining.
Myatt was fouled quickly by the Beavers, but the senior guard missed the front end and the Beavers had a chance to steal a win on the road. Deane's layup attempt appeared to have a chance but it rolled off the rim as the buzzer sounded, giving the Bison their biggest opening game win in school history.
"We were just focused," said Myatt, who added six rebounds. "Coach (Gil Jackson) prepared us well for this game. We just wanted to come out and play hard for 40 minutes."
Much of the pre-game hype centered around whether or not President Elect Barack Obama and/or Michelle Obama, the sister of Oregon State head Coach Craig Robinson, would attend the game.
"I am glad the crowd didn't leave when Obama didn't come," said Howard Coach Gil Jackson. "I'm glad they stayed and gave us some energy. I love playing here. We just want to keep winning here."
Added Robinson, "I haven't even had time to let it really sink in because we've been trying to get things set here. But it's very exciting; it's an honor. I'm excited for them (President Elect Barack Obama and wife Michelle) and I am sure they will do well.
Robinson, who is in his first year at the helm after experiencing success at Brown University, offered his thoughts on the game and the cross country trip.
"It was great to be here," he said. "The (Howard Showtime Band) band lived up to expectations. The team lived up to expectations. The crowd was terrific because they were cheering hard but very fair to us. It was a treat to be here, except for the outcome."
The Beavers were led by Seth Tarver with 10 points while Deane added 7 points and 9 rebounds.
GAME NOTES: The victory was Howard's first ever over a team from the PAC-10...The Bison played without starting point guard, freshman Calvin Thompson, who is nursing an injured shoulder. McHenry played well in Thompson's absence, with 7 points, three assists and no turnovers...White was 4-for-8 from beyond the arc and Myatt was 3-for-5 from the field...the Bison, who averaged almost 20 turnovers per game last year, had only seven.
NEXT UP: Oregon State plays Nevada at Reno on November 22 while the Bison travel to Annapolis, Md. to play the Naval Academy on Sunday at 1 pm.