Five observations from Howard’s 73-71 loss Monday to St. Francis (N.Y.)
Trouble Outside. Three-point shooting was the difference. St. Francis guard Ben Mockford (24 points) hit seven of 10 three-pointers and Stefan Perunicic (15 points) added three of four from beyond the arc. Howard shot five of 15 from 3-point range. “Going into the game, the plan was to make them make 2s and not make 3s,” Howard coach Kevin Nickelberry said. “We just didn’t do a great job of defending the 3.”
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Atmospherics. Coming off taking a run at Georgetown Saturday at the Verizon Center, where it fell 62-48, Howard had a tough assignment, finding its edge two days later on a night when campus was empty. Exams were completed at Howard last week. “I feared the letdown,” Nickelberry said. “I knew Calvin Thompson wasn’t going to play a lot of minutes. I knew it would be tough.” St. Francis (3-6) of the Northeast Conference is better than the record indicates. The Terriers have not played a home game this season.
Help on the Way. The rest of December brings a brutal schedule as Howard travels to Oregon State, No. 20 Indiana, No. 12 Kansas, and Kansas State. But help is on the way. On Tuesday, transfer guards Glenn Andrews (Tulsa) and Trey Lee (Coastal Carolina) begin practice with the Bison. Coach Kevin Nickelberry said they are eligible to play this week. Andrews, a 6-2 senior from T.C. Williams, has played only two games each of the last two seasons, both of which were cut short by knee injuries. Andrews averaged 7.5 points per game in his first two seasons at Tulsa. Lee, a 6-3 sophomore from Bethel High in Hampton, Va., scored 17 points in 22 minutes as a freshman at Coastal Carolina before playing a JUCO season at Wallace State (Ala.).
Thompson hobbling. Guard Calvin Thompson, Howard’s top scorer two years ago, was out last year with a knee injury and has been hampered this season by a groin injury. On Monday night, he scored 12 points in the first half before losing a toenail and playing just four minutes in the second half, leaving the point guard duties solely to freshman Simuel Frazier (15 points, five turnovers, three assists). Thompson is a necessary component for the Bison. In games he has scored at least 21 points, Howard is 2-0. In games Thompson has played, but scored 17 or less, Howard is 0-6.
Boyomo adjusting. Highly-touted 6-foot-9 redshirt freshman Theo Boyomo, out last year with a torn ACL, got the second start of his career, but produced no points and two rebounds in 16 minutes. Boyomo has had no impact for the Bison, collecting just 15 points and 20 rebounds in 112 minutes. Boyomo’s development is critical. Howard will be a more complete team if he can seize a starting job and allow 6-7 junior Mike Phillips play the four. Phillips had 16 points, 12 rebounds, and two blocks on Monday.
