Bison Try To End Slide in Home Contest Against Struggling SC State
Washington, DC—The Howard University men's basketball team, in desperate need for a win, gets a team equally desperate in South Carolina State tonight at 7:30 pm in Burr Gymnasium.
The Bison (4-18, 1-7 in the MEAC) dropped their sixth in a row on Saturday, in a 52-42 home loss to Savannah State. Howard played the defending regular season champions tough through most of the game but let it slip away after starting point guard Simuel Frazier left the game just before the half. The team leading assist man and floor general, was diagnosed with a Grade 2 sprain/tear of the right hamstring and could be out from three to six weeks.
Despite the loss, there was a bright spot in the play of senior guard/forward Tre Lee, who was thrust into the role of point guard and performed admirably, all things considered.
"Tre Lee did a heck of a job in a tough situation," praised Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry. "He didn't know that he would have to come in and play that position. He adjusted well and did a great job." Lee finished with 5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals in 33 minutes.
Senior forward broke out of his five-game slump and tallied 11 points in a losing cause. But the real surprise came from sophomore guard Brandon Ford, who scored a team and season-high 13 points, making great use of his increased playing time.
In SC State (4-16, 0-7 in the MEAC), Howard faces a team that has not won a conference game in two years and has lost 12 straight headed into this game. They are coming off a tough, 64-60 loss to Hampton at home on January 30. The Bulldogs have two formidable players in junior forward Matthew Hezekiah and Khalif Toombs. Hezekiah, 6-11, averages 14.1 points and 7.8 rebounds while Toombs, s senior playmaker is averaging 12.2 points and 5.4 assists.