Notre Dame escapes with win over Bison
WASHINGTON (January 17, 2022) – Howard University men’s basketball team came up just short of taking down Notre Dame in front of a nationally televised audience on FOX, 71-68, at Burr Gymnasium. HU dropped to 6-8 overall but took a huge step in competing against the talented Fighting Irish.
“We did a great job in taking a step forward despite the outcome,” said Howard men’s basketball head coach Kenneth Blakeney after the game. “We competed for 40 minutes and our guys played the right way. This was an opportunity for us to grow.”
EEEEEEEEEELIJAH HAWKINS! 😤😤
E. Hawkins is giving the ND Fighting Irish a run for their money, hitting this clutch shot and bringing the Bison within 1 with 34.6 to go!
LET’S GO BISON! 💙🚨 pic.twitter.com/vU9nWjAOX1
— Howard Athletics (@HUBisonSports) January 17, 2022
Redshirt sophomore Steve Settle, III (Glenarden, Md.) put on an all-around performance, registering a career-high 25 points, seven rebounds (season-high) and three steals.
“I’m really proud of Steve,” said Blakeney on his 6-foot-10 forward from Prince George’s County. “When he defends, rebounds and scores, his all-around game shines. He’s bought in and I’m extremely proud of him.”
UP, UP AND AWAY! 🚀🚀
E. Hawkins to T. Bibbs pushes the Bison to 64 against ND’s 67! 🗣
56.2 to go in the 2nd half pic.twitter.com/yy0DDdNQAz
— Howard Athletics (@HUBisonSports) January 17, 2022
A pair of buckets from rookie Elijah Hawkins (Washington) gave the Bison an early 4-0 advantage, but Notre Dame went on a 16-8 run and took a four-point advantage with more than 12 minutes before intermission, 16-12.
Notre Dame extended the lead to eight after a fast break dunk from Blake Wesley, 25-17, but Howard finished the half on a 14-5 spurt and closed the gap to one, 31-30.
Howard opened the second half with a quick 6-0 run, capped off by a trey ball from graduate Kyle Foster (Hampton, Va.), 36-31, forcing the Fighting Irish to use a timeout.After the quick break, Notre Dame went on a 12-6 run to reclaim the lead, 43-42, and kept the pressure on.
With less than eight minutes remaining, Wesley connected on a pair of free throws and gave the Fighting Irish its largest lead, 58-46.Down, but never out, the Bison clawed their way back.
After a dunk by graduate Randall Brumant (Houston) pulled the Bison within four, 60-56, the Fighting Irish responded with seven unanswered and ballooned the margin back to double digits with less than three minutes left, 67-56.
In one last charge, Howard created points off turnovers in the waning moments and gave themselves a chance to send the game into OT, but Hawkins’ game-tying three-pointer missed short. Hawkins and Foster each finished with 12 points apiece in the loss.
For the Fighting Irish (11-6), this contest marked their first ever trip to an HBCU campus.
“It was historic to host Notre Dame,” Blakeney concluded. “I want to give credit to my big brother [Mike Brey] for wanting to play us because 99-percent of Power 5 schools won’t come to Burr Gymnasium and play us. That tells a lot about him as a man.”
Nate Laszewski ended with a double-double (17 points & 13 rebounds) for Notre Dame while Dane Goodwin also posted 17 points. Wesley recorded 13 points in the victory.
Final Stats:
Scoring Leader: S. Settle (25 PTS)
Assists Leader: E. Hawkins (5 AST)
Leading Rebounder: S. Settle (7 REB)#BLEEDBLUE— Howard Athletics (@HUBisonSports) January 17, 2022
Saturday (Jan. 22), HU resumes league play at Morgan State. Tipoff at 4 p.m. inside the Hill Field House.
(Story and Information Courtesy Of Howard University Athletics)
ABOUT HOWARD UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
The Howard University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors 21 NCAA Division I men and women varsity sports. The programs represent three conferences: the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Northeast Conference (NEC) and Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC).
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.
