WASHINGTON (March 10, 2020) – No. 7 Howard University women's basketball team advanced to the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Quarterfinals after eliminating No. 10 South Carolina State (SCSU), 79-72, inside the Norfolk Scope Arena.
 
HU held a 15-point advantage entering the fourth period, the Lady Bulldogs (3-26) refused to go away.
 
"We closed the game out," said Howard women's basketball head coach Ty Grace in today's postgame press conference. "[I] give South Carolina State a lot of credit, they were scrappy and hit some big shots."
 
SCSU's Olivia Gabriel split a pair of freebies and cut the margin down to nine, 68-59, but a fastbreak layup from redshirt junior Jayla Myles (Rochester, Va.) extended the lead back to double digits with less than five minutes to play, 70-59.
 
Senior guard Ayonna Williams (Washington) connected on a jumper and push the lead to 13 points, 75-62, but the Lady Bulldogs scored eight unanswered and sliced the deficit to five with 40 ticks remaining, 75-70.
 
Third-year sharpshooter Jayla Thornton (Newark, N.J.) sealed the deal with clutch free throws down the stretch to punch the Bison's ticket into the quarterfinals.
 
Thornton led the way with a team-leading 22 points and four boards while Williams filled the stat sheet, producing 17 points, eight dimes, five steals and three boards in the victory.
 
Howard won the rebounding battle, 44-35, led by senior forward Imani Bryant (Berkeley, Calif.) with a game-high 11 rebounds.
 
For SCSU, Heniaya Moton had a game-high 28 points in the loss.
 
With the victory, HU (16-14) faces No. Norfolk State Wednesday (March 11) at 2 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.