Box Score
ORANGEBURG, SC—Senior forward Arsenio Williams recorded his first career double-double with 11 points and 14 rebounds, while junior’s Carrio Bennett ,Darnell Porter and senior guard Brandon Smalls all chipped in 11 each as South Carolina State defeated Howard 77-64 in MEAC play Monday.
South Carolina State improves to 13-8 overall, and 7-3 in the MEAC, while Howard falls to 6-19 overall, 5-5 in the league.
“This was a very big win for us at home,” said SC State head coach Tim Carter. “We executed down the stretch and made some big shots that counted.”
The first half was close throughout the stretch with SC State leading my six, 20-14 off a Jason Flagler jumper at the 6:15 mark. A 3-pointer by Paul Kirkpatrick followed by a layup by Yannick Braimbridge gave Howard the lead 22-20 with 4:14 left in the first half.
Porter nailed a 3-pointer and scored a layup with 0:47 seconds left to pull the Bulldogs within a basket, 30-28. Bennett’s layup with 0:05 seconds tied the game 30-30 and closed out the half.
Carter stated, “Right now we are playing eight guys strong and we are going to need everyone who enters the game to contribute to a high level.”
South Carolina State jumped out early in the second half building an 11 point advantage, 59-48 off a Jason Flagler jumper with 6:21 left in the game. A layup by C. J. Prince cut the lead to eight, 72-64 with 0:43 seconds left in the game.
“The key was limited turnovers in the game and we had 17 assists so we didn’t play selfish basketball,” stated Carter. “If we keep being patient and playing smart basketball we can win some games down the stretch.”
Junior guard Tyvon Williams tossed in 10 in the victory, while Howard was led by Mike Phillips with 11 and Dadrian Collins with 10 on the night.
South Carolina State will return to action on Saturday when they travel to Baltimore, MD to take on Coppin State in an MEAC showdown beginning at 4 p.m.
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