Bison Not-So-Welcome Hosts for Mids

Curtis White's shot needed work, so well before his Howard teammates arrived at Burr Gymnasium for last night's game against Navy, the sophomore guard was on the court practicing his jumper.

A few hours later, White's pregame persistence paid off. His three-pointer with 1 minute 27 seconds left broke a tie and guided the Bison to a 75-65 victory.

"It hasn't been going down for me," said White, who in the first six games shot 26 percent and made just 3 of 23 three-pointers. "I knew Eugene [Myatt] was going to drive and he told me he was going to pass it to me. I was ready to shoot the whole time."

Kandi Mukole also picked a prime time to rediscover his shooting stroke. After White's three-pointer, Mukole, a 52 percent free throw shooter, made six in a row as the Bison (3-4) ended a two-game losing streak and handed the Midshipmen (2-6) their third consecutive defeat.

Greg Sprink, Navy's leading scorer, contributed 16 of his 18 points in the second half, but made just 4 of 13 field goal attempts. After White's go-ahead shot, Sprink's driving layup was blocked -- one of eight blocks by Howard. Adam Teague made four three-pointers, scoring 16 points.

Randy Hampton was another Bison to heat up, making all seven shots to finish with 16 points. Jeron Smith had 16 and Eugene Myatt added 15. White, averaging just 5.5 points, finished with 10 on 4-of-7 shooting (2 for 4 on three-pointers).

The Bison's strong finish offset a Navy rally that turned a 10-point deficit into a 61-61 tie with about 2 1/2 minutes remaining.

"Uncharted water for us, being able to keep our composure, make our free throws, handle their pressure," Howard Coach Gil Jackson said. "We're going to have to finish out games like this."

Despite the margin of defeat, the Midshipmen actually had an opportunity to tie the game in the final minute. Trailing by six, Teague made a three-pointer and Navy stole the inbounds pass. However, Kaleo Kina's long jumper rattled around the rim and fell away with about 35 seconds left.

Midshipmen Coach Billy Lange was encouraged by the comeback, but disappointed that his team responded so poorly at the start of the second half with Howard leading by just a point.

"Our guys woke up," he said. "Defensively our energy got better. We didn't come out of the locker room with the energy that we needed. . . . This team has not committed to coming out at halftime and playing hard yet. It's been every game."

The Midshipmen, coming off four-point losses to Seton Hall and Penn at the Philly Hoop Classic, missed 13 of their first 15 shots after the break and shot 28 percent in the second half.

Sprink, averaging 19.3 points, had just two points before halftime before getting more involved in the offense. During one stretch, he had 11 of his team's 13 points as the Midshipmen crept back into the game. It was tied at 59 when White made a 15-footer. Kina responded with a basket in the lane, but White struck again to give the Bison the lead for good.

"We just lost focus for a minute and let them tie it," White said. "That's a win we would not have gotten last year, so we are making progress. The concentration was better and we played hard the whole time."