The MEAC preseason favorite in men’s basketball is down one game in the standings already.
South Carolina State guard Jayden Johnson’s bucket with less than a second to go lifted the Bulldogs to a 58-57 win over Howard Saturday afternoon in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for both teams.
The Bulldogs (2-14 overall, 1-0 MEAC) led by as many as 11 points (38-27) in the second half before Howard rallied to take a 57-56 lead on a pair of Isaiah Brown free throws with 21 seconds left.
Johnson (game-high 24 points) took an inbounds pass and hit a shot as he was being fouled by Cam Gillus. Johnson, the MEAC’s preseason player of the year, missed the free throw, but Howard did not have enough time for a final shot.
Ose Okojie led the Bison (9-7, 0-1 MEAC) with 18 points and Morehouse transfer Cedric Taylor III added a double-double (10 points and 11 rebounds) for Howard. Owen Bronston Jr. added 10 points for South Carolina State.