WASHINGTON, DC --- As a young and injury-depleted team, the Howard women's basketball squad has been searching its first true complete game performance and, in turn, its first victory.
The Lady Bison put forth its strongest effort to date against a familar foe, but still fell a few minutes short.
Sophomore forward
Sydni Johnson and redshirt sophomore guard
Te'Shya Heslip combined for 38 points in a 80-69 loss to the North Carolina A&T Lady Aggies on Saturday afternoon in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener for both teams.
Heslip led Howard (0-8, 0-1 MEAC) with 21 points - her fourth straight double-digit scoring game - and a career high 12 assists while her eight rebounds left her two shy of a triple double. Johnson stepped up in her fourth game back from injury with a career high 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. Freshmen
Jordan Coleman and
Katrina Reeves each chipped in nine points, with Coleman's efforts marking a season high in her rookie campaign.
By the 14:27 mark of the first half, Howard had produced its largest lead of the season (12 points) by using a 16-4 run to put NC A&T (6-2, 1-0 MEAC) on its heels. Johnson scored nine of her 11 first-half points in that pivotal run.
A&T would cut into their deficit but Howard would lead the entire half and take a 37-32 lead into the break. The Lady Bison continued to lead the Lady Aggies until the last minutes of the game. After Heslip - who scored 13 of her 21 in the second half - scored in the lane to give HU a three-point advantage (68-65), A&T proved why it was picked to win the MEAC.
The Lady Aggies exploded for a 15-1 run over the last three minutes, led by upperclassmen Debbie Smith (four points) and Adriana Nazario (three). The pair scored 22 and 21 points respectively on equal 7-of-12 shooting nights, with Smith's tally setting a career high.
During the ill-fated A&T rally, Howard, which shot a sold 41.5 percent for the game, went 0-7 from the field.
NEXT UP: Howard will host its penultimate home game of 2014 on Monday, December 8 when the Lady Bison host North Carolina Central for a 5:30 p.m. matchup in Burr Gymnasium.
