THE GAME
Delaware State visits MEAC rival Howard in search of its third straight win. The Hornets improved to 4-3 overall and 1-0 in the MEAC after a 78-68 win over Maryland Eastern Shore in their last outing. Casey Walker led the Hornets with a season high 21 points, while Marques Oliver tallied 18 points and 11 rebounds. Kendall Gray led the DSU defensive effort with six blocks. Howard has dropped its last two games to fall to 2-5 overall and 0-1 in the MEAC. The Bison are coming off a 71-53 loss to Hampton in the Big Apple Classic at Madison Square Garden in New York on Sunday. Howard trailed 36-23 at the break and never recovered. Mike Phillips and Simuel Frazier led the Bison with 12 points each.  

DSU VS. HOWARD SERIES HISTORY (HOWARD leads 49-45 ... since 1971)  
This will be the  95th meeting between the teams since each joined the MEAC in 1971. Howard has won two of the last three meetings to open up a 49-45 lead in the series. Howard won the only meeting of the 2010-11 season, 70-67, in Washington, D.C. The score was 38-38 at the half, but Howard opened up a 63-46 lead with about nine minutes left. The Hornets answered with a 14-0 run to pull to within 63-60 with 3:45 left. Delaware State trailed 68-67 with the ball, but a missed shot and a turnover in the final seconds doomed its fate. Howard hit two free throws with one second left to close out the scoring. Casey Walker led all current DSU players with 15 points, while Marques Oliver had 14 points and 11 rebounds for the Hornets. Howard's Mike Phillips led five Bison in double figures with 19 points. The teams are scheduled to meet again on Feb. 25, 2012 at Delaware State's Memorial Hall.