DMV HBCU Report | Afro

By Mark F. Gray, AFRO Staff Writer, [email protected]

Sometimes there’s a change in scenery or the need for something other than home cooking that can be a swing moment in the fortune of a school’s season.  Such was the case for Howard and Bowie State who rebounded on the road for big MEAC and CIAA wins that may give them momentum for a stretch run to the finish of the regular season.

Howard put the embarrassing stench of blowing a 24-point lead and losing to Norfolk State which precipitated a melee. The Bison rallied to beat Florida A&M 70-66 in Tallahassee despite playing without three players who were suspended by the conference for their roles in the skirmish following the loss to the Spartans and without head coach Kevin Nickelberry.

“We’ve lost some close games this year,” said assistant coach Keith Coutreyer. “But the guys believed in each other. It wasn’t about my adjustments, [it was] the guys playing hard and never giving up.”

Howard’s guards were the difference in helping them end FAMU’s five game win streak.  The preseason all-MEAC tandem of R.J. Cole and Charles Williams combined for 35 points as they rallied from an 11-point deficit.  Cole scored 20 points on 6 of 10 shooting from beyond the three point arch. However, it was Williams, who scored 15, who drilled a big shot to give them the lead for good with just over 1:00 remaining.

The Bison outrebounded the Rattlers 32-29 and scored 22 points off 17 FAMU turnovers. Howard was nearly perfect from the free throw line making 10-of-11 chances.

“We played with some different lineups [today],” said Coutreyer. “We got some good minutes out of the bench.”

With Bowie State recovering from an old fashioned beat down at the hands of Virginia State, David Belle’s big shot gave them a big lift in Philadelphia.  Belle drilled a 3-pointer with 5.9 seconds remaining to lead the Bulldogs past the Lincoln (Pa.) 79-78.

BSU shot 52.3 percent from the field and were 9-of-18 from three-range. The Bulldogs were out-rebounded 41-33 but outscored the Lions 40-30 in the paint. It was their junior class that rallied them to victory and helped them get back to .500 in the CIAA North Division.

Rinardo Perry led the Bulldogs with 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field, while fellow junior Cameron Hayes added 12 points off the bench.  Saiquan Jamison and Yohance Fleming finished with 11 and 10 points respectively.

Despite the efficient, but unspectacular Bowie State offense, Lincoln led 40-36 at halftime.  The Lions were led by Cameron Campbell’s 21 points followed by Gevon Arrington with 18 points.  Deaquan Williams added a double of 10 points and 14 rebounds.

In a game that featured 10 ties and 14 lead changes The Lions held on to the lead until a Perry layup shifted the advantage over to Bowie State at 45-44 four minutes into the second half. The lead would change hands five times over the next six minutes until a pair of free throws, by Lincoln’s Cameron Campbell, created the games’ ninth tie at 61-61 with 9:24 remaining.

The Lions led by six points three times over the game’s final 9:00 including by a 76-70 margin with 3:34 to go in the contest. But this time the inconsistent Bulldogs rallied by outscoring the Lions 9-2 down the stretch to capture a massive road win to keep pace with Virginia State and Virginia Union in the CIAA North Division.

BSU still has road games remaining in Richmond and Petersburg, VA to try and square the record against Union State, who they already lost to at home this season.