PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – For the first road trip of 2017, the Howard University women's basketball team will make its way to Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday, Jan. 14 for a 2 p.m. Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) matchup in Hytche Athletic Center.
LAST TIME OUT
The Bison (5-8, 1-0 MEAC) opened conference action with a convincing 72-58 win over Florida A&M on Jan. 4 in Burr Gymnasium. In the victory, redshirt senior Te'Shya Heslip recorded a triple-double on 12 points, 11 boards and 14 assists.
Howard had three players in double figures, led by redshirt junior Erin Blaine's career-best and game-high 21 points. She just missed out on a double-double after pulling down nine rebounds, eight of which were on the defensive end. Senior Sydni Johnson notched 12 points and five rebounds, while classmate Jasmine Hill had eight points.
SCOUTING THE HAWKS
Eastern Shore is heading into Saturday's game with a 7-6 overall record and 1-1 mark in MEAC play. The Hawks are looking to rebound from a 68-59 defeat at North Carolina Central on Wednesday. Mariah McCoy had a team-high 13 points in 32 minutes of action and Tori Morris chipped in 11 points in the loss.
Ciani Byrom is Eastern Shore's leading scorer and is fifth in the MEAC rankings with 14.6 ppg, while her 4.5 apg stands second. Moengaro Subritzky is also averaging double figures on 11.0 ppg and tops the team in rebounding (6.8).
ANOTHER MEAC HONOR
For the third time this season, Heslip was tabbed as the MEAC Co-Player of the Week, the conference announced on Monday. The Dumfries, Va. native tallied the second triple-double of her career when she posted 12 points, grabbed 11 rebounds and handed out 14 assists against FAMU. Heslip added six points, eight rebounds and eight assists in just the second half.
GOING STREAKING
The Bison are currently riding a three-game win streak, including a pair of victories on their home court in the nation's capital. In the trio of triumphs, Howard is averaging 69.0 points.
NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Heslip has been Howard's leader on both sides of the ball this season. She is averaging 4.15 steals, which puts her fourth among the NCAA Division I statistical leaders. Her 54 total thefts ranks 12th and 5.3 apg is 41st. With a team-best 16.1 points and 78.6 free throw percentage, she comes in at No. 4 in the MEAC.
CLIMBING THE RANKS
In her final season, Johnson is well on her way to cementing her place in Howard's record books. She crossed the 500-rebound plateau on Dec. 16 against NJIT, bringing her career total to 522 boards. The Homewood, Ill. native also has 929 points thus far.
HOWARD IN THE MEAC
As a team, the Bison have the second-best scoring offense in the league, averaging 63.0 ppg. Howard also checks in at No. 2 in free throw percentage (70.0) and assists (11.9), while coming in third in steals (10.0) and fourth in field goal percentage (36.4).
Imani Bryant is proving to be one of the best rookies in the league. She stands first in field goal percentage (57.6), third in rebounds (8.1) and sixth in blocked shots (1.8).
