HU Bison Fall in Nonconference Finale at Hawai’i

HONOLULU, Hawaii – After a solid first half, the Howard University Men's Basketball team was unable to sustain their hot shooting as they fell to the Hawai'i (UH) Rainbow Warriors, 84-59.

Howard (3-13) shot a respectable 42-percent (19-of-45) from the floor; however, the contest was a tale of two halves. HU shot nearly 57-percent (13-of-23) before intermission, including 54-percent (7-of-13) from long range, but could not maintain as they shot only 27-percent (6-of-22) in the second half.

"In the first half, [RJ] Cole had it going, and Kyle Foster made some shots," said Howard Men's Basketball head coach Kevin Nickelberry. "We took a step back as far as spacing. We've taken care of the ball better lately, but we took a step back. They were very physical and it took us out of the stuff we wanted to do."

Freshman RJ Cole led the Bison with 22 points, including 17 in the first half. Sophomore Charles Williams added 10 points in the loss.

Hawai'i held a 10-point advantage until the Bison went on a 15-4 spurt and took their first lead of the game at the 8:15 mark in the first half.

Senior Dalique Mingo pushed HU's lead to four after making the old-fashion three-point play, 33-29, but the Rainbow Warriors finished the half on an 9-3 run and took a two-point advantage at the break, 38-36.

Off the bench, newcomer Kyle Foster scored 12 points on 4-of-7 shooting from beyond the arc in a losing effort.

Williams made a pair of freebies and tied the contest after intermission, 38-38, but Hawai'i took control with a 16-5 spurt and held a double-digit lead with 14:22 remaining.

From that point, HU could not find their rhythm as the Rainbow Warriors held a double-digit advantage for the rest of the game.

For UH (9-4), they shot 55-percent (28-of-51) from the field. Jack Purchase produced a game-high 22 points while Brocke Stepteau and Mike Thomas chipped in 13 points apiece.

"They made some adjustments in the second half, starting [Jack] Purchase," Nickelberry continued. "We had some problems adjusting to him and [Mike] Thomas downlow. We had to pick and choose, and we probably chose the wrong way because Purchase made a lot of three for them."

On Jan. 3, the Bison start league play in Tallahassee, Fla., where the Florida A&M Rattlers await. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m.

For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.

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