WASHINGTON, D.C. (February 9, 2009) ? Shooting just 28.6 percent (15-of-56) from the floor, 22.2 percent (4-of-18) from 3-point land and 41.2 percent (7-of-17) from the free-throw line, the Delaware State Hornets (6-19, 4-6 MEAC) fell to the Howard Bison (7-16, 5-5 MEAC), 59-43, on Monday, February 9 at Burr Gymnasium on the campus of Howard University. The loss marked the first for the Hornets versus the Bison in 10 tries (dating back to March 12, 2003).
"We came out flat," said Head Coach Greg Jackson. "We came out different from our last ball game. We came out with no intensity. We got down 20 points and battled back in the second half but, this ball game was lost in the first 15 minutes. We played with no passion and no desire at all. They (Howard) came out and had an excellent game plan. I thought the intensity on both ends of the floor was the difference in the ball game."
Despite the poor shooting performance, the Hornets did an excellent job of protecting the ball committing a season-low four turnovers. Howard finished the night, shooting 45.5 percent (20-of-44) from the floor and 21.4 percent (3-of-14) from beyond the arc. The Bison found success at the free-throw line converting 16-of-22 (72.7 percent) from the charity stripe. The Hornets were out-rebounded by the Bison, 39-35, but held a 17-9 advantage on the offensive boards.
Delaware State was led by Frisco Sandidge, who finished the night with 17 points and eight rebounds. The Lynchburg, Va., native shot 6-of-10 from the floor and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line. Trevor Welcher also registered double-digit scoring, pouring in 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting on the night.
Three Bison scored in double figures, including Eugene Myatt, who registered a game-high 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the floor and 6-of-7 shooting from the free-throw line. Kyle Riley and Paul Kirkpatrick each tallied 12 points and six boards.
Delaware State fell behind early in the contest, trailing by as many as 20 in the first 20 minutes of action. Shooting 26.7 percent (8-of-30) in the first half, DSU entered halftime behind, 39-20.
The Hornets battled back in the second half, cutting the Bison lead to 10, following a jumper by Donald Johnson. The bucket made the score 44-34 with 12:47 left in the game however, DSU could not bring the deficit to single-digits as Howard maintain its lead. In the final 4:00 of action, Howard extended its lead to 18 points on a dunk by Kirkpatrick, sealing the Bison victory and handing Delaware State its sixth conference loss of the season.
The loss snapped a two-game, road-winning streak for the Hornets and moved DSU to 6-19 on the year.
Delaware State will head home to face the Norfolk State Spartans on Saturday, Feb. 14. Tipoff is slated for 4:00 p.m.
