Box Score

WASHINGTON, DC --- Howard women's basketball lost its second consecutive home game as the Savannah State University Tigers defeated the Lady Bison, 65-49, in the first game of HU's first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) doubleheader on Monday evening.

The Lady Bison fall to 6-10 (2-1 MEAC) after their first conference loss, while the Tigers improve to 9-8 (2-1 MEAC) with the victory.

Sophomore center Victoria Gonzalez led Howard by posting her first double-double of the season, posting team-highs of 15 points and 11 rebounds. Gonzalez also added three blocks, two steals and an assist. Freshman guard Jasmine Hill, starting her second straight game, contributed 12 points – including a pair of three pointers – as well as six rebounds and three assists.

Howard and Savannah State played a close first half with neither team leading by more than four points, four ties in the first 16 minutes, and the Lady Bison taking a slim 25-24 lead into halftime. Hill and Gonzalez handled the bulk of the scoring, putting up 15 of the team's 25 points.

HU outscored up SSU 15-10 in the first eight minutes of the second to take their biggest lead of the game, 40-34, with 11:41 remaining in the contest.

However, Howard suffered through a crippling offensive drought for the rest of the game as HU scored four field goals and committed seven of their 16 turnovers during a 31-9 Savannah State run.

The Tigers' aggression on the offensive end proved to be the difference, as the team scored 17 of their 21 free throws during the 11-plus minute surge. Overall, SSU shot 21-of-31 (67.1 percent) from the line while HU only shot 4-of-8 (50 percent) in the game.

SSU had three players reach double figures, led by Ezinne Kalu's game-high 20 points.

Head Coach Tennille Adams put the setback in perspective saying, "We're a young team and there's a lot of season left. Give credit to Savannah State, they played well today. We're still 2-1 in the conference; we'll just head back to the film room, make adjustments and continue to get better. Our goal is to be playing our best basketball in late February heading into the MEAC Tournament."

HU will look to bounce back on Saturday, January 18 when the Lady Bison welcome Maryland Eastern Shore for a 2 pm matchup. After the women's game, the Howard men will take on UMES at 4 pm. Information on the audio and video broadcasts will be posted on www.HUBison.com.