Men’s Basketball Team Ends Last Home Game With A Bang

In their final home game of the 2011-12 season, the Howard University men's basketball team defeated the University of Maryland Eastern Shore 53-51. The Bison honored two seniors prior to tip-off;  point guard Clinton Cuffee, and shooting guard, Glenn Andrews who has proved to be a big time scorer for this team. 

The victory over the Hawks was a big win for the Bison after they lost to  Eastern Shore on Feb. 4.  The first half started with the Bison only shooting 27 percent from the field compared to Eastern Shore's shooting percentage of 40. Such low shooting percentages have plagued the Bison team all season but, as of late, the team has fought hard during games to overcome early deficits. 

Down for the majority of the first half, Howard needed to finish strong if they had any hope of advancing into the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament after the regular season.   The Hawks had a seven point lead at halftime with a score of 31-24, with Howard only making nine shots and being 3 for 7 at the free-throw line. Once the second half started, the Bison team pushed harder making a 21-13 run to start the half and bringing the Bison to a four-point lead with only 5:59 left to play in the game. 

After going scoreless in the first half, freshman point guard, Simuel Frazier finished the game with nine points and was a key contributor to putting the Bison ahead late in the game.

 Since the Bison played Savannah State University on Jan. 28, majority of the scoring has come from the bench and that trend continued against the Hawks. The Bison's bench out-scored the Hawks' bench 38-11.

Taking the lead in the second half, the Bison secured a victory with key free-throws from junior forward, Mike Phillips, and a big three-point play from redshirt junior, Calvin Thompson late in the second half.  In the final minutes of the game, a physical altercation took place. Due to the altercation, no players or coaching staff were able to comment following the game. 

As of result of Monday night's events, both UMES and Howard players were reprimanded for violating the MEAC's unsportsmanlike conduct polocies, according to a MEAC press release. Any additional incidents between the parties involved will result in disciplinary action including suspension from competition.

The next and final game of the Bison regular season is against the Delaware State Hornets in Dover, DE on Feb. 25.