WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Howard women's basketball team will take the floor in Burr Gymnasium for the first time this season when it welcomes Mount St. Mary's to the nation's capital on Saturday, Dec. 10. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m.
SERIES VS. MOUNT ST. MARY'S
Saturday's outing will be the 10th meeting in series history between Mount St. Mary's and Howard with the Bison holding a slight 5-4 edge. HU has won the last three matchups, including a 62-49 victory last season on the road. Sydni Johnson added 21 points in the contest.
LAST TIME OUT
Freshman Imani Bryant led the Bison on offense and defense with 11 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in Howard's 59-42 loss to Robert Morris. She made 5-of-9 field goals to shoot 55.6 percent.
Redshirt senior Te'Shya Heslip added 10 points for her seventh straight game in double digits. She also had a team-high five steals and three assists. Redshirt junior Erin Blaine tallied eight points and six boards, while Johnson posted seven points.
The Bison shot a season-low 23.9 perfect from the floor, only making 17 of its 71 attempts. However, they shot a 61.5 percent clip (8-13) at the free throw line. HU also came up with 14 second chance points and outrebounded RMU by a 51-42 margin.
SCOUTING THE MOUNT
Mount St. Mary's (2-6) was outscored by Maryland Eastern Shore in the fourth quarter to close out a 63-52 defeat on Wednesday.
Caroline Hummell paced the Mountaineers with a 16-point performance, which marked her sixth time scoring double digits this season. Mikal Johnson was the other Mountaineer to reach double figures, tallying 10 points and a game-high seven rebounds.
Hummell leads the team in almost every category, averaging 13.3 points and 6.8 rebounds while shooting 49.3 percent (33-67) from the floor and 76.1 percent (35-46) at the free throw line.
DOUBLE DOWN
Bryant is the first Bison to pick up Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) honors this season after pulling double duty as Rookie of the Week and Co-Defensive Player of the Week on Monday.
The Berkeley, Calif. native shot 70.6 percent (12-17) from the floor and posted 30 rebounds, 25 points, four blocks, three steals and one assist in Howard's matchups against Saint Francis Brooklyn and Robert Morris. She recorded her first career double-double in HU's win over the Terriers thanks to a career-high 14 points and 11 boards. Bryant followed up that performance with her second straight double-double on a career-best 19 rebounds and 11 points against the Colonials.
She has appeared in six games, making three starts for the Bison. Bryant is averaging a team-high 7.3 rebounds and shooting 68 percent (17-25) from the field.
LEADING THE CHARGE
Heslip continues to be Howard's top offensive threat, averaging team highs in points (17.4), assists (4.0) and steals (3.4) while shooting 38.7 percent (12-31) from beyond the arc and 82.1 percent (32-39) in free throws. Her steals average and free throw percentage are the best mark in the MEAC. She has led the team in scoring in six of seven outings and put up at least 10 points in every game.
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 68.7 percent rate, making 92 of 134 attempts. The mark currently stands second in the MEAC.
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 488 rebounds, just 12 shy of crossing the 500-rebound plateau. Johnson also has 860 points thus far.
With 934 points, Heslip is on track to join the exclusive 1,000-point club this season.
