The Howard Bison finally tasted victory this season.
Junior guard James Miller scored 30 points to lead the Howard Bison men’s basketball team to a 71-54 win over American University on Dec. 3 at Burr Gymnasium in Washington, D.C. It marked the first win of the season for Howard (1-5), who lost the first five games of their schedule.
Each of Howard’s first five opponents were powerhouse basketball programs, including Michigan, Marquette and Georgetown. The Bison lost each game by double digits, but those tough match-ups prepared them for fairer competitors like American University.
Miller had just scored 30 points in Howard’s 85-72 loss to Georgetown on Nov. 27, so his 30-pointer against American was his second straight. The junior guard scored 17 points in the first half alone, helping the Bison lead by as much as 22 points early in the game.
American eventually cut the lead to just 32-26 by halftime. But Miller kept his foot on the gas offensively in the second half, and the Bison team dialed up its defensive intensity to shut American’s offense down and push the lead back to double digits. Howard forced 23 turnovers that translated into 23 points.
Howard will continue its local schedule this week with a matchup against Maryland (8-1) on Dec. 7 at the Comcast Center. The Bison then take on George Washington (5-3) on Dec. 10.
