NEWARK, N.J. – The Howard University women's basketball team will make the trip to NJIT on Friday, Dec. 16 for a non-conference matchup in Fleisher Athletic Center. Game time is slated for 7 p.m. on ESPN3.
SERIES VS. NJIT
Friday's game marks the fifth all-time meeting between Howard and NJIT. The Bison have been victorious in the last three outings against the Highlanders. The last time the two teams met was in 2013, when the Bison came away with an 80-73 win.
LAST TIME OUT
Senior Sydni Johnson just missed out on a double-double with a season-high 21 points and nine rebounds in Howard's commanding 95-62 triumph over Mount St. Mary's last Saturday.
Redshirt senior Te'Shya Heslip added 18 points, while classmate Jasmine Hill was a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line on her way to 15 points.
Junior Tajzhane Dopson and freshman Imani Bryant tallied nine points apiece. Off the bench, rookie Sarah Edmond notched eight points and was 3-for-3 on the day with a pair from long range.
SCOUTING THE HIGHLANDERS
NJIT (4-7) is coming off a tough 75-36 loss to Saint Joseph's on Tuesday night. Alana Dudley paced the squad with 11 points followed by nine from Tatianna Torres. Leah Horton pulled down a team-best six rebounds.
Dudley leads the Highlanders in scoring (11.0 ppg) and assists (36) while Horton follows at 10.2 ppg and 5.8 rpg, which ranks second on the team. Kelly Guarino sits in third averaging 7.1 ppg while pacing the Highlanders in three-point field goals made (15).
MEAC RECOGNITION
With her seventh double-digit point total of the season, Heslip was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Co-Player of the Week on Monday. She had 18 points against the Mount and shot 6-of-12 from the floor to go along with eight assists, five steals and four rebounds.
For the second week in a row, Bryant was tabbed as the league's Rookie of the Week. She recorded nine points on 4-of-7 shooting and paired it with three blocks and a steal. The 6-1 forward posted her third consecutive game with double figures in rebounds (11).
LEADING THE CHARGE
Heslip continues to be Howard's top offensive threat, averaging team highs in points (17.5), assists (4.5) and steals (3.6) while shooting 39.5 percent (15-38) from beyond the arc and 77.8 percent (35-45) in free throws. She has led the team in scoring in six of eight outings and put up at least 10 points in every game.
Bryant is pulling down a team-best 7.9 rebounds per game and shooting 65.6 percent (21-32) from the field, which leads the MEAC.
CHARITY STRIPE LIVING
The Bison have done a good job of making trips to the free throw stripe count. Howard is converting free throws at a 69.2 percent rate, making 110 of 159 attempts. The mark currently stands second in the conference.
MILESTONES TO WATCH
In her final season, Johnson is well on her way to cementing her place in Howard's record books. She currently has 497 rebounds, just three shy of crossing the 500-rebound plateau. Johnson also has 881 points thus far.
With 952 points, Heslip is on track to join the exclusive 1,000-point club this season.
