WASHINGTON (February 18, 2019) - Coach Ty Grace and the Howard Bison women's basketball team used a strong fourth quarter to surge past NC Central, 80-70, in the home finale at Burr Gym on Saturday.

The Bison struggled in the first half, shooting just 35% (11-of-31) from the field, and found themselves down 45-35 at the break. "We were struggling shooting and Central did a good job of attacking us off the dribble and getting inside. They outrebounded us the first half so we just needed to settle in and figure out what we needed to do to get going offensively," said Grace afterwards. "Second half, obviously, we did a better job."

With 58 seconds to go in the third quarter, Sarah Edmond got a steal and finished at the other end. That cut the NC Central lead to 56-55.

The Bison kept fighting and tied the game at 63 after freshman Krislyn Marsh hit a pair of free throws with 7:49 to play in regulation.

The Bison finally caught up and on the ensuing possession, sophomore Tariah Johnson got a steal and found Edmond for the transition layup. The Bison wouldn't trail again.

The Bison locked in on defense in the fourth quarter, as they held the Eagles without a field goal for nearly eight minutes, until Paulina Afriyie made a layup to cut the lead to 72-66. "Our coach talked about stepping up on the defensive end, bringing up the intensity and rising to the occasion and adversity. So that's what we had to do," said guard Ayonna Williams after the game. "We did our press defense and everybody stepped up and started tracking the ball and getting steals." The Bison forced 19 turnovers, which they converted into 23 points.

Sarah Edmond led the Bison with a game-high 20 points. Williams added 19 points, six boards, and three assists. Jayla Thornton added 12 points and Marsh chipped in with 11 points and nine boards.

Afriyie finished with 15 points and eight rebounds to lead the Eagles. Shontai Totten added 15 points of her own to go along with five assists and Zaria Atkins contributed 14 points.

The Bison travel to Baltimore to take on Coppin State on Saturday, February 23 and Morgan State on Monday, February 25. 

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 mo