ORANGEBURG, S.C. — Jayden Johnson hit a pull-up jumper with one second remaining to lift South Carolina State to a dramatic 58–57 victory over Howard on Saturday (Jan.3) afternoon inside Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center. 

Johnson finished with a game-high 24 points as the Bulldogs earned their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win of the season and snapped a long scoring drought in the final seconds.  

South Carolina State improved to 2–14 overall and 1–0 in MEAC play, while Howard dropped to 9–7 and 0–1 in conference action. 

The Bulldogs built an early cushion behind efficient first-half shooting, taking a 30–20 lead into the break after holding Howard to 28 percent shooting in the opening 20 minutes. 

Howard stormed back in the second half behind Ose Okojie, who scored 18 points and helped the Bison climb back into the contest with aggressive play inside and frequent trips to the foul line. 

After a Howard turnover in the final seconds, Johnson took the inbounds pass and calmly rose from the right side of the lane, burying the game-winning jumper at the buzzer to send the Bulldogs' bench spilling onto the court. 

Owen Bronston Jr. added 10 points off the bench for South Carolina State, while Cameron Clark and James Morrow combined for 12 rebounds. 

Howard was led by Okojie's 18 points and Cam Gillus' 11, but the Bison shot just 30.8 percent from the floor and 17.4 percent from 3-point range in the loss. 

NEXT UP: South Carolina State hit the road for a two-game league swing versus Morgan State on Saturday (Jan.10) and Coppin State on Monday (Jan. 12).     

ABOUT SC STATE ATHLETICS   
South Carolina State University is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I level intercollegiate athletic program. The university currently fields teams in 14 sports: women's volleyball, men's and women's tennis, men's and women's cross country, men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track & field, softball, men's and women's outdoor track and field, women's soccer and football with all teams competing in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), except for women's soccer.   
    
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