NORFOLK, Va. – Redshirt senior Te'Shya Heslip chipped in a game-high 30 points to lead the Howard University women's basketball team to a 68-60 win over Norfolk State on Saturday evening in Echols Hall.
Thanks to their third straight victory, the Bison improved to 14-12 overall and 10-4 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). The Spartans fell to 14-13 and 9-6 in MEAC play.
With two more games left in the regular season, Howard remains second in the MEAC standings behind top-ranked Bethune-Cookman.
Heslip scored 44 percent of Howard's total points on 11-of-18 shooting. She coupled it with six rebounds, six assists and three steals on her way to her first 30-point game of the season.
Redshirt junior Erin Blaine added nine points and a team-best 11 boards, while senior Sydni Johnson finished with eight points and eight rebounds. In nine minutes on the floor, freshman Ayonna Williams tallied seven points. Classmate Danielle Griffin had a career night with seven rebounds and four blocks.
As a team, the Bison pulled down 51 rebounds, which ties the second-best total of the season. Howard shot 39.7 percent (25-63) from the field and 63.6 percent (14-22) at the charity stripe.
After 4:45 of action in the first quarter, Heslip got the and-one to count for a 9-7 edge. A pair of free throws and a layup got NSU back out front, 12-11, with 35.2 seconds left. The two teams traded baskets as the Bison closed the period down 14-13.
Senior Jasmine Hill gave the Bison a one-point lead, 16-15, on a dagger from downtown to start the second quarter. Heslip had her own three-pointer to put HU up 25-23 at the 3:13 mark. Williams sank a jumper to end a 6-0 Spartans run and send Howard into the locker room trailing 29-27. By the break, Heslip had poured in 18 points in 18 minutes.
Layups by Johnson and Heslip knotted the score at 31 with 7:56 on the clock in the third period. After rookie Jayla Myles had the put-back and a layup from Johnson, Howard was ahead 36-35. Williams connected from beyond the arc before she laid the ball in to push the advantage to 44-41. Blaine's layup closed the quarter with a 46-43 Howard lead.
Blaine opened the fourth quarter with a clutch and-one and Johnson hit a jumper for a 51-43 upper hand. Howard took its largest lead of the game, 58-47, on a three-pointer by Heslip with 4:33 to go. With 38.5 left in the game, NSU had pulled within five, 64-59 but freshman Sarah Edmond and Heslip drained their attempts at the charity stripe for a 68-60 victory.
The Bison will play their final home game of the 2016-17 campaign on Monday, Feb. 27 when they host Maryland Eastern Shore at 6 p.m. Monday will also serve as Senior Day.
