January 4, 2019 --- The Howard University women's basketball team (7-6) will host the Florida A&M Rattlers (2-10) for the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) season opener on Saturday, January 5 at 2 p.m.

Last Timeout
On December 28, Howard women's basketball team fell to the North Carolina Tar Heels, 85-63, in Carmichael Arena. Sarah Edmond had a team high of 16 points plus an additional six assists, three steals and four rebounds.  Freshman Krislyn Marsh, contributed 12 points and nine rebounds. Ayonna Williams, Jayla Thornton and Star Fitzgerald-Greer each pitched in eight points.

Game Preview
The Bison are off to their best start in over a decade. Howard is averaging 70 points per game and leading the conference in the MEAC standings. Three Bison are averaging double-digit points per game. Junior Sarah Edmond is at the top of the pack with 16.8 ppg, followed by Jayla Thornton with 13.8 ppg and freshman Krislyn Marsh with 10.8 ppg. Marsh is the team's rebound leader, averaging 8.2 rpg. Junior Ayonna Williams has the team's most steals with 26, followed by Sarah Edmond with 24.

The Rattlers open MEAC play with a 2-10 record. In the preseason, the Rattlers were predicted to finish 8th in the conference with 108 points. The team is averaging 47.2 points per game and shooting 33.1 percent from the field. Freshman Mya Moye leads the Rattlers with her 11.2 points per game average. Freshman Dy'Manee Royal is the team's rebound leader with 5.9 rpg.

FAMU and Howard last faced each other in the 2018 MEAC tournament where the Rattlers defeated Howard, 69-64, in the first round. At the beginning of the previous season the team dropped its conference opener at FAMU, 74-59, inside the Al Lawson Center. During that game the Bison shot 35 percent (18-of-51) from the field and 77 percent (20-of-26) at the free throw line. Howard committed 29 turnovers allowing the Rattlers to score 29 points off of those. The Bison competed against the Rattlers once again in the 2018 regular season, defeating them 76-65.

Upcoming Schedule
The Bison will travel to Maryland Eastern Shore on January 7 to face the Hawks at 5:30 p.m. For more information visit, the Howard Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.

About Howard University Athletics
The Howard University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors 19 NCAA Division I men and women varsity sports. The programs represent six conferences: the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC), Coastal Collegiate Swimming Association (CCSA), Sun Belt Conference, Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Conference. Visit www.hubison.com to learn more.