Howard pulls away from Alcorn State 94-83 on the road

Howard left Lorman with a 94-83 road win over Alcorn State on Saturday at the Davey L. Whitney Complex, bouncing back after an opening loss to get to 1-1 on the young season. Alcorn State dropped to 0-2.

Cedric Taylor III ran the show for the Bison. He finished with 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. That kind of all-around production is hard to gameplan for, and Alcorn State couldn't find an answer. Taylor got to the basket early, converted a free throw, and kept coming.

The first half had a little bit of everything. Ma'Kye Taylor opened the scoring with a 24-foot three-point jumper, Calvin Sirmans III picking up the assist. Trey Thomas answered for the Braves with a 14-foot step-back jumper, and then again with a 13-foot pullup, Sirmans threading another assist. Thomas was relentless. He finished with 27 points of his own and kept Alcorn State in the game longer than the final score might suggest.

Howard's Ethan Griffin had two notable moments in the half. He converted a layup off a Saxby Sunderland feed, then threw down a two-foot dunk with an assist from Ma'Kye Taylor. Gasper Kocevar chipped in a driving layup and added a free throw. Christian Richardson finished a layup on a Sirmans pass. The Bison had contributions spread across the roster.

Cam Gillus scored on a layup off a Cedric Taylor III assist, with Taylor turning right around and converting one of his own. Isaiah Brown knocked down two free throws. Drew Harris added a driving layup late in the half. Howard built a cushion and held it.

Sirmans III finished with 9 assists for Alcorn State, the kind of number that keeps an offense organized even in a loss. Adam Tokpah grabbed 6 rebounds for the Braves.

Howard's margin was double digits at the final buzzer. Taylor's free throw, 1 of 2, was one of the last scoring plays logged in the half, a small moment in a performance that defined the game.