The Howard Bison escape Delaware with a win after a near upset to the Delaware State Hornets. Howard was in danger of dropping their second game in a row to teams they were favored against. They came into the game after a loss in the Legacy Classic to the Hampton Pirates, a team that had lost 13 games in a row.
Both teams entered the match with a 3-3 record in the MEAC. Delaware State had an opportunity to position themselves as a top team in the conference with a statement win over Howard, but they fell short. After the loss, the Hornets drop to sixth in the conference, but are still within striking distance of Howard, Morgan State, and South Carolina State.
The Bison got off to a quick 8-2 start, but the Hornets quickly recovered. Within minutes, they tied the game at 11 with a 9-3 run. The scored remained within a basket for nearly four minutes before Howard's Marcus Dockery knocked down a three-pointer to go up 21-17. After a Hornet basket, he followed it up with another shot from deep. Dockery's surge helped keep Howard afloat as they continued to trade buckets with Delaware State. The Bison entered the halftime break with a 32-28 lead.
Howard came out of the break with a renewed vigor on defense, holding Delaware State to just three points for the first seven minutes of the second half. The Bison scored 14 points of their own, leading to a 46-31 advantage. Over the next eight minutes, Howard maintained a comfortable lead that hovered close to double-digits, though the Hornets cut the lead down to two possessions a couple times. Delaware State finally made headway in the final five minutes with a 15-2 run. Raymond Somerville sunk a pair of free throws that gave his team the lead for the first time in the half. Howard responded with a 6-0 burst of their own to claim a 70-65 edge.
In the final 10 seconds of the game, Delaware State sent Dockery to the free throw line as they trailed 72-69. He missed the first one, giving them hope, but he drained the second one. The Bison slipped up and fouled the Hornets, giving them two free throws, but Isiah Warfield closed the game with his own pair from the stripe. The Bison walked away with a 75-71 victory.
The Delaware State Hornets had three players combine for 50 of their 71 points. Deywilk Tavarez scored 21 points (with 10 made free throws), three assists, and three rebounds. Jevin Muniz followed suit with 19 points, four assists, and three rebounds. Martaz Robinson chipped in with 10 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals.
Howard's Bryce Harris led all scorers with 23 points on an efficient 10-14 shooting performance. He also had three rebounds and three assists. Marcus Dockery hit four three-pointers and finished with 21 points and five rebounds. Seth Towns also had success from deep as he made three of his four three-point attempts for 19 points, eight rebounds, and two steals.
Delaware State gets a 12-day break before playing at Coppin State on Feb. 17. The Howard Bison also don't resume play until Feb. 17 against North Carolina Central.
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