Howard has spent the last month turning the MEAC race into theirs, and Monday night at Burr Gymnasium, the Bison finally slipped on the crown.
With a wire‑to‑wire 90-70 rout of Coppin State that looked like so many of their recent league outings, Howard clinched at least a share of the regular‑season title, extending its MEAC winning streak to eight games.
Each of those eight victories has come by at least 19 points, a stretch of dominance that has turned a once‑crowded standings page into a one‑team showcase.
Gillus steers the blowout
Junior point guard Cam Gillus put an exclamation point on Howard’s surge with a rare triple‑double, finishing with 12 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds while once again serving as the steady hand of one of the league’s most explosive offenses.
During the Bison’s current run, Gillus has repeatedly delivered turnover‑light, high‑efficiency nights directing traffic, including a recent performance against North Carolina Central in which he handed out six assists with no giveaways as Howard rolled 100–67.
On Monday, he was even more assertive. Gillus pushed tempo off the glass, picked apart rotating defenses in the half-court, and repeatedly found shooters and rim‑runners in stride.
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Taylor’s star turn
If Gillus was the architect, Morehouse transfer Cedric Taylor supplied much of the firepower. The rangy junior guard poured in 21 points to go with five rebounds and five assists, flashing the all‑around game that has quickly made him one of the MEAC’s most difficult covers.
Taylor’s arrival from Morehouse has been one of the quiet coups of the offseason. At his former stop, he showed a knack for stuffing the stat sheet and hitting big shots, and he has seamlessly translated that two‑way impact to Howard, already authoring multiple 20‑point efforts in conference play and flirting with a triple‑double in the Bison’s nonconference win over his old program.
A month of domination
Monday’s clincher looked familiar because Howard had been scripting the same story for weeks.
Starting with a mid‑season reset after a one‑possession loss to Morgan State, they throttled North Carolina Central 100–67 behind 61 percent shooting and an 11‑for‑22 barrage from three‑point range, turning 24 Eagle turnovers into 24 points and emptying the bench long before the final horn.
They went on the road to Baltimore and handled then‑surging Morgan State 84–59, pounding the Bears on the backboards (56–41), holding them to 34 percent shooting and just 1‑for‑10 from deep while again getting high‑level guard play from Gillus and another 20‑plus outing from Taylor.
Over the course of the streak, Howard’s defense has been as suffocating as its offense has been free‑flowing, holding opponents in the high 50s and low 60s while turning live‑ball stops into transition opportunities the other way.
Title secured, targets ahead
The win pushed Howard far enough clear in the standings to lock up at least a share of the regular‑season championship with games still to play. That guarantees the Bison nothing in March, but it does validate the blueprint that head coach Kenneth Blakeney and his staff have built over the past few years.
