Baltimore, MD—Coming off a huge win over Hampton University, the Howard University women's basketball team will look to not only extend its streak to two games for the first time this season, but it will be looking to finish strong down the stretch when it takes on the Lady Eagles of Coppin State on Saturday at 2 pm in the Physical Education Activities Center. Following the Coppin State game, Howard will face UMES, Savannah State, South Carolina State and Florida A&M at home before closing out the regular season at Hampton and Norfolk.
The Lady Bison (4-18, 2-7 in the MEAC) have played all season with key ingredients missing from the lineup at various time. Head Coach Ty Grace, in her first season at the helm, has done a masterful job in keeping the team competitive despite not having important members of the team available due to personal problems and injuries. It has resulted in the team's ability to finish off games.
The starting lineup has been in a state of flux and each time Grace feels that she has the full complement of players, someone comes up missing. Junior forward Sydni Johnson is the only player who has started all 22 games.
Even in the victory over Hampton, which came into the game riding a six-game win streak and sitting atop the MEAC standings, the Bison were without Victoria Gonzales (illness). The 6-1 senior forward, who is the conference leading scorer, has missed the last three games. Yet the team has rallied and has begun to find an identity at the right time.
Prior to the Hampton game, Howard lost three close games at Morgan State, at UMES and to Norfolk State at home in double overtime. The result has been a scoring average that has risen to 80-plus points in the past three games.
Junior guard Jasmine Hill poured in a career-high 26 in a close loss at UMES. Senior guard Imani Bailey came back the next game against Norfolk State with a career-high 37 points.
And then, there was a performance for the ages by Te'shya Heslip in which she record a triple double of 22 points, 16 rebounds and 11 assists in the overtime victory over Hampton, proving to be almost unstoppable at times.
With those three capable of big scoring outputs, Johnson has been the steady mainstay as she averages almost 13 points per game. The junior has recorded two double doubles in the past three games.
But the biggest surprise has come from junior forward Erin Blaine, who is filling in for Gonzales. Blaine has 29 points and 11 rebounds in the last two games, posting a career high of 15 against Norfolk State.
When the Lady Bison played Coppin State earlier in the season at home, they were in the game but faltered down the stretch. Coppin State (7-14, 4-5 in the MEAC) pulled away to an 83-67 win at Burr. In that game Gonzales, who averages almost 21 points, tallied 19 while Heslip scored 19 off the bench.
The Lady Eagles are led Keena Samuels (11.8 points per game), Janelle Lane (11.2 poinmts per game) and Omaah Tayong (9.1 points, 8.1 rebounds).
NEXT UP: Howard hosts Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday at 5:30 pm at Burr in the first of four straight home games.
