By Brandon Walker for Urban Media Today
Washington, DC—The duo of Bryce Harris and Cedric Taylor III combined for 47 points as Howard scored a wire-to-wire win over South Carolina State by the score of 85-57 on Saturday evening at the Burr Gymnasium. Howard is now the winner of three games in a row and avenged its earlier 58-57 loss suffered at the hands of SC State on Jan. 3, while the Bulldogs got their three-game winning streak snapped.
Howard (15-9, 5-3 MEAC) jumped out with an early lead with free throws by Taylor and a layup from Gillus. Despite a slow start highlighted by turnovers, Howard held a 5-2 lead at the first media timeout. The pace picked up as Howard’s Alex Cotton and SC State’s Noah Treadwell exchanged three-pointers, marking a pivotal shift in momentum. This exchange helped Howard maintain their lead, culminating in an impressive defensive effort and contributions from Harris and Taylor to extend the lead to 23-12 at the under 8 timeout.
The duo of Harris and Taylor continued to take over the game in the post, as the lead grew to as many as 18 points. However, SC State started to show some fight with a three-pointer field goal by Treadwell and a dunk by Derwin Hodge to cut the deficit down to 12 by the end of the half.
Halftime score: Howard 36, SC State 24
In the first half, Howard capitalized on their strength inside the paint, securing a 14-8 advantage. This statistic highlights their offensive strategy to attack the basket and dominate in close-range scoring opportunities. Furthermore, they were effective in converting turnovers into points, allowing them to not just take possession but also increase their scoring chances. Outrebounding SC State 21-15 underscores Howard’s superior effort in both offensive and defensive rebounding, crucial for maintaining possession and controlling the game’s tempo.
The second half started with the dynamic duo continuing to dominate in the paint, and SC State was powerless to stop them. SC State tried to fight its way back into the game, but they stumbled with unforced errors and suffered a shot clock violation. Gillus’s and Cotton’s three-point baskets blitzed the SC State defense and extended Howard’s advantage to 27 points, as they uncorked a relentless surge towards victory.
One statistic stands as a testament to Howard’s dominance in the game: they recorded 22 assists, compared to just 8 for SC State. This level of ball movement and teamwork was indicative of their performance throughout the game. Additionally, Howard won the rebounding battle 40-30 and shot 51 percent from the floor compared to 32 percent for SC State.
Taylor and Harris scored 24 and 23 points, respectively, as the only Howard players who scored in double figures. Tredwell led SC State in scoring with 13 points, while Jayden Johnson added 11.
Howard will remain at home as they tip off against Yale on Monday evening in a non-conference matchup, while SC State will go back home to face Morgan State on Sat., Feb. 14.
You can follow Brandon on all social media platforms: @bwalkerdadon
