WASHINGTON (February 3, 2018) – Coach Ty Grace and the Howard University Women's Basketball team used strong defense and a balanced attack to blow past the Florida A&M (FAMU) Rattlers, 76-65, in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) matchup at The Burr.
 
With the victory, HU snapped its brief two-game slide and moved to 4-4 in league play.
 
The game was not nearly as close as the final score would indicate. Four Bison finished in double figures, led by sophomore Sarah Edmond with a game-high 20 points. Fellow classmate Ayonna Williams added 12 points and six assists.
 
Howard started the game off slow, allowing FAMU to take an 8-2 lead in the early moments; however, the Bison would recover.
 
Edmond got Howard going early, scoring HU's first eight out of 10 points while Williams chipped in six points in the quarter to help the Bison build a 26-16 lead that they would never relinquish.
 
Howard used their strong start to help set the tone early. They forced several turnovers, which allowed HU to get out in transition for easy buckets. The Bison forced FAMU into 15 first half turnovers, which they turned into 17 points.
 
The Bison continued its strong start and extended their lead to 37-19 with 4:58 left in the half, before FAMU used a 6-0 run to close the half and cut the lead down to 13 at the break.
 
Off the bench, freshman Jayla Thornton poured in 14 points and Imani Bryant contributed 10 points and eight rebounds in the victory.
 
Howard did a great job sharing the ball and getting good ball movement as they finished with 18 assists.
 
After taking a 40-27 lead at intermission, the Bison came out sluggish to start the third quarter. But back-to-back three pointers by Edmond and Thornton pushed HU's lead to 21 at the 2:35 mark, 56-35. Howard limited FAMU to 5-of-16 shooting (31%) in the quarter and just 23-of-67 shooting (34%) for the game.
 
Early in the fourth, Howard held its largest lead of the game at the 8:35 mark, but Florida A&M closed the game out on an 18-4 run.
 
FAMU was led by Shakeyrra Morrison with a double-double, team-high 19 points and a game-high 17 rebounds. Ecenur Yurdakul added 14 points and Dawn King contributed 13 to lead the Rattlers.
 
The Bison travel to Baltimore to take on Morgan State Monday (Feb 5). Tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.
 
Then, they return to The Burr to host Hampton in a rescheduled Battle of the Real HU on February 8. Game-time is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.