Courtesy of Howard Athletics
WASHINGTON, DC -Seth Towns scored a game-high 24 points, including a big three-pointer to send the game into overtime, but Cincinnati would go on to outscore Howard 86-81 in a thrilling non-conference game at Burr Gymnasium.
| Statistics | 1 | 2 | OT | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
The two teams battled back and forth as neither led by more than seven. The Bearcats (6-0) appeared to have the game in hand when Thomas converted two free throws to give the visitors a 74-71 lead with just seven ticks on the clock. Everyone knew that Towns was going to take the shot, but despite that, the 6-8 graduate forward took two dribbles to free himself on the left side of the and coolly buried the three-pointer to send the home crowd into a frenzy, and the game into the extra period.
The overtime period played out like much of the game in regulation. First Day Thomas scored on a nifty move in the lane to give the Bearcats the 76-74 lead.
Junior forward Miles Stewart scored on a tap-in to tie the game again at 76. Johnnie Newman, III, and Victor Lakhin each scored a basket to give Cincinnati an 80-76 lead at the 2:58 mark.
But the Bison (3-5) refused to fold and Stewart added a short jumper to get his team to within 80-78 with 2:47 in the extra period.
Lakhin, who finished with 19 points, came right and scored to up the score to 82-78. The two teams took turns missing shots until junior guard Bryce Harris scored on a nice feed from graduate guard Isaiah Warfield to make it 82-80, Bearcats at the 1:34 mark.
PHOTO GALLERY FROM HOWARD MBB TWITTER ACCOUNT
Towns was fouled and made one of two to cut the deficit to 82-81 with 42 seconds remaining. Newman was fouled and made both free throws to make it a three-point game for the Bearcats. Howard was unable to score at their end and Thomas scored on a dunk as the buzzer went off and Cincinnati escaped with the win.
It must be noted that Howard played most of the game without one of its key players, Shy Odom, who was injured in the first five minutes and remained in street clothes the rest of the game. The sophomore forward came into the game as the team’s third-leading scorer and team leader in assists and steals.
It marked the second straight game that Towns has led the team in scoring. He poured in a game-high 25 in Saturday’s double overtime win at Mount Saint Mary’s. Incidentally, he had a three-pointer in that game which sent it into the first OT.
Junior guard Marcus Dockery scored 13, graduate guard Jordan Hairston with 11 off the bench and Stewart with a season-high 9 points.
The Bearcats had five players finish in double figures, led by Lakhin (19), Dan Skillet, Jr (16), Aziz Bandaogo (12) Newman (11), and Simas Lukosius with 11 each. Jazzie James who scored nine off the bench, is the brother of Howard standout sophomore running back Eden James.
GAME NOTES: The loss snapped a 10-game home streak for the Bison. Cincinnati held a 54-34 advantage on points in the paint and 28-10 on second-chance opportunities. The Howard defense forced the Bearcats into 3 of 18 shooting from the three-point line while hitting 50 percent from the field, 42 percent from beyond the arc and 86 percent from the free throw line.
NEXT UP: Howard will get a break for midterms before returning to action at Penn (Dec. 11).
GAMEDAY AI ADVANCED STATS
- Cincinnati outhustled Howard, outscoring them 28 to 10 on second-chance points
- Howard struggled on the boards with just 28 total rebounds, a season-worst
- The Bearcats put a particular emphasis on generating easy looks close to the hoop, shooting 30-of-50 on two-pointers, including 54 points scored in the paint.
- Efficiency metrics evaluated the Cincinnati offense at an average of 1.21 points scored per possession on 55% true shooting.
- The Bison shot 50% from the field, scoring a healthy 1.15 points per possession.
Gameday AI content is produced using Artificial Intelligence technology powered by Boost Sport before being approved and published by HBCU Gameday.