Daniel Scores 36 in Howard Men's Basketball Loss to Columbia

NEW YORK, New York -- James J-Byrd" Daniel III poured in a game-high 36 points but it was not enough to offset the balanced attack of the Columbia Lions as the hosts had four players score in double figures to get by Howard, 72-59 in a non-conference matchup Monday evening at the Levien Center.

Daniel, the leading scorer in the nation coming into the game with 28 points per game, did all he could to keep his team close through most of the game. The 5-11 junior guard from Hampton, VA accounted for 21 of his team's 25 first half points.

But the Lions (9-5) set the tone as Maodo Lo (12 points), Grant Mullins (8 points), CJ Grant (7 points) and Luke Petrasek (7 points) combined to lead Columbia to a 38-25 halftime lead.

"It is the same problem we ran into in the last game," recalled Howard head coach Kevin Nickelberry. "Damon (Collins) and Tyler (Stone) got into early foul trouble and J Byrd got tired. That changed things. We had to go to some younger players and we were even smaller than when we started the game."

With Daniel as the Bison's only real offensive threat, the Lions were able to methodically build on their lead and keep the Bison at bay en route to their fifth straight victory.

"We missed some 2-on-1 and 3-on-1 opportunities," said Nickelberry. "We have to take advantage of those kind of opportunities. Right now, we just don't have the depth and experience to sustain those kind of hits."

Junior forward Solomon "Solo" Mangham was Howard's second leading scorer with nine points. Daniel was 9-of-29 from the field and the rest of the team made only 7-of-33 as the Bison shot 25 percent from the field.

Columbia did not shoot the ball especially well, but they connected on 11-of-25 from the three-point line and recorded 13 assists on 23 field goals.

The Bison defense forced 17 turnovers and picked up seven steals. Again, they continued their consistency from the free throw line where they shot 85 percent (23-of-27).

"I challenged the team to play harder and with more energy, something I did not think they did in the last game," he said.

GAME NOTES
- Daniel went 16-for-17 from the free throw line and he has now made 59-of-61 in the past six games…he leads the nation in free throws attempted and made…Cameron Lewis continues to show improvement...the freshman forward/center, who was named the MEAC Rookie of the Week on Monday, scored 4 points and grabbed 6 rebounds in 20 minutes.

NEXT UP
Howard travels out west to take on the Rainbows of the Un
iversity of Hawaiii on January 2 at 11:30 pm Eastern time.

COURTESY HOWARD UNIVERSITY BISON SPORTS INFORMATION