HBCU freshman phenom drops career high in conference opener

By HBCU Gameday Newswire
HBCU Gameday
https://hbcugameday.com/

Courtesy of Howard University Athletics

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Freshman HBCU hoops standout Blake Harper (Washington) poured in a game-high 34 points to lead four Bison in double figures to lift the Howard University men’s basketball team to a 100-94 shootout win over Delaware State (DSU) in the opening game of the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) season.
 
A 6-foot-8 freshman from D.C., Harper tied his career high that he recently set in the HBCU rivalry game at Hampton (Dec. 28), hitting on a sizzling 10-of-12 shots from the field, including 3-of-4 from three-point land and a perfect 11-for-11 from the charity stripe.
 
Howard (6-9, 1-0 MEAC) took the early lead and began to temporarily pull away from the visitors with a big 18-3 run that opened a 15-point lead at the 8:41 mark of the first half.  Harper led the way with 20 points but senior guard Marcus Dockery (15 points) and graduate forward Cameron Shockley-Okeke (13) combined to help keep the Hornets at bay with a 55-47 halftime lead.
 
Delaware State hustled and scrapped their way to an 8-0 run with a little under seven minutes in the second stanza.
 
Two free throws by Robert Smith helped the Hornets tie the game, 78-78, with a little over seven minutes left in regulation.
 
Howard quickly regained the lead, 81-78, on a Shockley-Okeke three-pointer. From there, the two teams traded blows with back-to-back baskets. With Dockery, Okeke, and Harper scoring timely baskets, the Bison were able to stave off several significant runs by the Hornets successfully.
 
Smith, Martez Robinson, and Kaseem Watson did all they could to keep the Hornets within striking distance, but the Bison were able to stave off the Hornets’ attempts as graduate guard Jaren Johnson (Lynwood, Calif.), Dockery and Harper provided the scoring down the stretch to secure the win. The Bison were able to close out the game with an 8-6 run over the last 1:08.
 
For the game, the Bison were a perfect 27-for-27 from the charity stripe.

Shockley-Okeke had his best game in a Bison uniform with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 6-of-10 from three-point land. Dockery cashed in with 19 points, going 7-of-13 from the field. Johnson also came up big with 12 points and six rebounds off the bench.
 
Even more important may have been the contributions that may not show up in the stats column. Junior forward Ayodele Taiwo (Lagos, Nigeria) came off the bench in the second to score a key basket, two offensive rebounds, a blocked shot, and a key assist in 11 minutes of play.
 
The Bison recorded 25 assists on 31 made field goals, shot 60 percent (31-of-52) from the field, and held an 18-7 advantage in bench points.
 
The Hornets got an outstanding game from its trio of Robinson with a team-high 28 points, Smith (27 points) and Watson (22 points).
 
Saturday (Jan. 11), Howard University hosts Morgan State inside Burr Gymnasium. The HBCU hoops tipoff is slated for 4 p.m.