WASHINGTON, D.C. – After trailing by as many as 13 points, the Howard University women's basketball team used a strong second half to nab a 69-61 victory over North Carolina A&T on Saturday in Burr Gymnasium.
The Bison moved up to 12-12 overall and 8-4 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), while the Aggies fell to 11-14 (7-5 MEAC).
Howard is 7-2 on its home court, having only dropped one MEAC game in The Burr this season.
For the fourth straight game, senior Sydni Johnson led the Bison in scoring with 15 points, 11 of which came in the second half. She also grabbed seven rebounds.
Redshirt senior Te'Shya Heslip had her 20th game in double digits on 14 points. She paired it with a team-high eight boards and six assists. Senior Jasmine Hill and redshirt junior Erin Blaine tallied 10 points apiece. Rookie Sarah Edmond chipped in seven points, pulled down five rebounds and dished five assists.
It was not a great shooting day for Howard or N.C. A&T as the teams were 30.1 percent (22-73) and 30 percent (21-70) from the floor, respectively. However, the Bison made 21 of its 27 free throw attempts for a 77.8 percent clip and posted 23 points off of the Aggies' 18 turnovers.
The Aggies limited the Bison to just a pair of points in the opening 5:06 of action on a 13-2 run. Myles made her free throws and a layup before Hill cashed in a three-pointer to end the first quarter down 20-10.
Howard was unable to make a field goal until the 5:55 mark of the second period. From there, the Bison scored nine unanswered points to cut the deficit to 23-20. Freshman Danielle Griffin got the job done at the charity stripe and Blaine drove into the paint to tie the game at 24 with 3:13 to go before the break. In the final minute, rookie Ayonna Williams completed the three-point play to bring HU within one, 31-30, but a quick basket by the visitors sent the Bison into the locker room trailing 33-30.
N.C. A&T extended its lead to nine, 43-34, midway through the third quarter. Howard kept fighting as Johnson connected from downtown and freshman Jayla Myles laid the ball in to tie the score at 44 with 1:22 left in the period. Heslip hit a floater at the buzzer to head into the last 10 minutes only behind 50-46.
Heslip had HU's first four points of the final period to lock the game at 50 and a jumper by Edmond gave the Bison their first lead of the game, 52-50. A set of baskets from beyond the arc put N.C. A&T ahead but a hard foul sent Johnson to the line, where she made both free throws to go up 57-56 with 3:42 on the clock. Freshman Star Fitzgerald-Greer sank one from the top of the key before back-to-back layups by Blaine pushed the advantage to 63-56. Heslip scored the last four points at the charity stripe for the final tally.
The Aggies were paced by double-doubles from Aliyah Kilpatrick (16 points, 11 rebounds) and Alexus Lessears (12 points, 14 rebounds).
Howard returns to The Burr on Monday, Feb. 20 for its annual #Play4Kay game when it hosts North Carolina Central at 2 p.m. Fans are asked to WEAR PINK in an effort to raise awareness for cancer research.
