Myatt’s 36 help Howard stun Ivy League powerhouse Penn
PHILADELPHIA – After getting blown out in their first two games of the season by a combined 109 points, Howard’s first win in the opening-round of The Philly Classic couldn’t have come at a better time – or a better place, for that matter.
And for third-year Bison head coach Gil Jackson, the victory couldn’t have been sweeter.
Junior guard Eugene Myatt torched the University of Pennsylvania for 36 points, including 21 in the second half, in an 80-65 shocker by Howard at Philly’s Historic Palestra in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Myatt converted on 13-of-17 shots, including a perfect 5-of-5 from beyond the arc.
But the real story of the evening was Jackson’s triumph over his former team. It was a Homecoming of sorts for the Bison coach, who had a long, successful tenure with the Quakers. Before relocating to the Mid-Atlantic region, Jackson spent 16 years as an assistant at Penn and helped lead them to nine Ivy League titles and nine NCAA Tournament appearances. His impressive resume was enough for Howard to lure Jackson to the nation’s capital to turn around a Bison program that had lost 17 straight games to close out the 2004-05 campaign.
Despite posting losing seasons in Jackson’s first two at the helm, the team has shown they’re moving in a positive direction under his guidance. Sixteen is another number he’s been reminded of for another reason. It happens to be the number of years since Howard last made the NCAA’s, and the private institution based in the heart of DC is hoping Jackson will bring an end to that drought in the coming future.
The Bison struggled miserably in losses to Duquesne and Virginia to start this campaign, but got the offense going against Penn, who got a team-high 17 points from senior guard Brian Grandieri.
Howard led by as many as 11 with under 15 minutes to play in the contest, but the Quakers rallied to trim the deficit to 62-57. Then sophomore forward Kandi Mukole sparked a decisive 11-3 run with a layup and sent Penn to a stunning loss on their homecourt. Freshman guard Kyle Riley contributed to the win with 19 points.
The win may not give Howard quality RPI points, but they and coach Jackson have, arguably, the best out-of-conference victory by a MEAC representative early this season.
