GREENSBORO, N.C. – The Howard University women's basketball team had its five-game win streak snapped when it dropped a 63-55 decision to North Carolina A&T on Saturday afternoon in Corbett Sports Center.
The Bison are 7-9 overall and 3-1 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Aggies improve to 7-12 (3-3 MEAC).
Redshirt junior Te'Shya Heslip recorded her 15th game of the season in double figures with a game-high 16 points. Freshman Sarah Edmond tallied nine points and three rebounds, while senior Sydni Johnson notched eight points.
Senior Jasmine Hill and redshirt junior Erin Blaine added six points apiece. Junior Tajzhane Dopson pulled down a team-best seven boards.
The Bison earned 17 points off of N.C. A&T's 22 turnovers and had 19 points from their bench. Howard only shot 32.8 percent (21-64) from the floor but connected on 10-of-14 free throws for a 71.4 percent clip.
The Bison got off to a 9-4 run over the opening 3:53 of the game. The Aggies were able to pull within one, 12-11, on a pair of free throws before tying the quarter at 15 with 57.2 seconds on the clock. Blaine and Hill went 2-for-4 at the charity stripe to end with period with a 17-15 lead.
Howard scored 10 points in the second quarter, all of which came from the bench. The two teams were quickly tied at 19 to start. Edmond elevated and sank the jumper to force N.C. A&T to call a timeout with HU ahead, 23-19. Freshman Jayla Myles swatted the ball out of the air to earn a block but with less than three minutes to go in the quarter, the Aggies knotted the score at 25. Howard was able to head into halftime with a 27-26 edge.
N.C. A&T took its first lead of the game, 29-27, with a three-pointer to begin the third quarter. The Bison briefly regained the advantage, 35-34, but the Aggies responded from beyond the arc to go up 37-35 with 4:19 on the clock. Heslip and Edmond each converted on three-point plays to bring the Bison within one, 46-45, but the Aggies were still ahead, 48-45, going into the final quarter.
Junior Tajzhane Dopson sent the perfect pass between defenders to a sprinting Edmond, who laid the ball in and gave HU back the lead, 49-48, early in the fourth. The two teams kept trading points and at the 4:25 mark, the Aggies were back in front, 53-51. Unfortunately, Howard couldn't overcome the pressure from N.C. A&T and fell, 63-55.
Howard will travel to North Carolina Central on Monday, Jan. 23 for a 5:30 p.m. outing.
