Bulldogs Down Bison on National TV
WASHINGTON, DC (SCSU) — South Carolina State built a built a 15-point lead with just under 13 minutes remaining but had to beat back a furious Howard rally in earning a 77-68 win over the Bison Monday night during a national ESPN telecast at Burr Gymnasium.
SC State took a 49-34 lead on a three-point play by Ian Kinard, his second of the contest, to take a 49-34 advantage with 12:42 to play. Howard closed the gap to 10, 51-41, with 10:14 remaining, but four straight SC State points made it 55-41 with 7:42 left before Jalen Jones made one of two from the line and James Miller got two straight layups to spark a 15-7 run that pulled the Bison to within 62-59 on Miller’s short jumper with 3:20 left.
Eric Eaves, who led the Bulldogs with 28 points and nine rebounds, got two free throws to check the Bison rally and put SC State ahead 64-59 with 2:11 left but Marcel Boyd got inside for a Howard basket to close the gap to three again, 64-61, with 204 remaining before the Bulldogs went on 13-7 run to close out the game.
Coach Murray Garvin‘s team improved to 7-14 overall and evened its MEAC record at 4-4. Kinard and Tashombe Riley each added 13 points in the win, which gave the Bulldogs a 2-1 record in the three-game road trek.
“I knew the contest would be a hard-fought one,” but I’m glad we pulled out the victory,” said Garvin. “This is MEAC time and I knew, even though we had a big lead, Howard would not give up. I knew they would fight back.”
“But, coming off a tough loss at Maryland Eastern Shore the other night, I was pleased the way we bounced back. We had a lot of alumni in the house, so it was great to get the win for them. I tell my team all the time, we are fighting for our university and our students and alumni.”
Howard, who dropped to 0-4 in home conference games, dipped 5-17 and 2-5 in the league. The Bison were paced by Charles Williams with 21 points and Miller with 19.
South Carolina State started poorly, scoring just six points in the first 10 minutes of the contest in falling behind 15-6 with 10:03 on the first-period clock.
Riley connected on a three-point play – the old fashion way – to ignite a 14-6 run that pulled the Bulldogs to within 20-21 when reserve Ian Kinard got two free throws with 3:34 left. Kinard’s layup at the 2:53 mark gave SC State its first lead, 22-21. The Bulldogs went on to lead 29-26 at the half.
