TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (January 3, 2018) – Howard University Women's Basketball team dropped its Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener at Florida A&M (FAMU), 74-59, inside the Al Lawson Center.
 
Despite shooting only 35-percent (18-of-51) from the field, HU (4-10, 0-1 MEAC) shot 77-percent (20-of-26) at the charity stripe; however, the biggest difference was turnovers. Howard committed 29 turnovers and the Rattlers capitalized with 29 points off turnovers.
 
Senior Tajzhane Dopson fell two boards shy of a double-double, finishing with team-highs in points (12) and rebounds (8).
 
After intermission, FAMU held their largest lead of the game after opening the third with a 15-2 run, 50-30. Howard fought back and went on a 16-6 spurt to slice the margin in half after three, 56-46.
 
Moments into fourth, HU cut the deficit down to single digits after a free throw from Dopson, 56-47, but the Bison would not get any closer as FAMU kept the pressure on and outscored Howard in the final period, 18-13.
 
Florida A&M (3-11, 1-0 MEAC) was led by Florence Ouattara with a game-high 16 points. Off the bench, Shakeyrra flirted with a double-double, producing 11 boards (game-high) and nine points in the victory.
 
FAMU opened the second quarter on a 12-2 run and held a double-digit advantage with under seven left before intermission, 24-13. Howard battled back and trimmed the margin down to five, 31-26, after a long ball from sophomore Ayonna Williams with 1:20 remaining.
 
Within the final 60 seconds before halftime, sophomore Sarah Edmond made a layup to cut the deficit to five, 33-28, but a layup from FAMU's Dawn King extended the Rattler's advantage to seven, 35-28.
 
HU returns home for a pair of league games inside The Burr.
 
On Jan. 6, the Bison host Bethune-Cookman on Community Day. Game-time is set for 2 p.m.
 
Two nights later (Jan. 8), Howard renews its rivalry with Hampton in the Battle of the Real HU. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. and Monday's promotion is White Out.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.