WASHINGTON, DC--The Howard University women's basketball team will be looking to extend its win streak to two when it hosts Elon on Friday at 7 pm.  It has been designated as Education Day as all elementary, middle and high school students will be admitted free. The game will be streamed on the HU website, http://www.hubison.com and there will be live stats available.

There was a breath of relief following Wednesday's win over American University on the road that snapped a five-game losing streak.  Junior guard Destiny Howell, who had been slumping, came alive and poured in a career-high 34 points on 13-of-21 shooting, including 5-of-10 from her specialty, the 3-point shot.

"I just had not been shooting well," admits Howell, a first team all-MEAC selection.  "Once I got my rhythm, my teammates began to find me and the offense ran through me. It was a good feeling to get back to that."

The scoring breakout helped energize Howell in other areas as she finished with four rebounds, three steals and three assists. 

But the sharpshooter from New York got some help from teammates, especially Aziah Hudson and reserve guard Kaiya Creek. Hudson, a graduate guard from Old Dominion University, who has played well all season despite the team's slide, tallied 13 points during key times when the Eagles began to focus more on Howell.

But perhaps an even bigger contribution came from Creek, who has also played well the past three games. Creek scored five points that came in the critical fourth quarter when American cut the deficit to five after trailing by as much as 17.

Creek scored her points and grabbed some key rebounds during the stretch that saw the Bison go on an 11-0 run, compliments of Creek and Howell who hit back-to-back 3-pointers.

Another factor in the victory was the team defense played on American's 3-point shooters, limiting them to 16-percent from the beyond the arc.

Noted Head Coach Ty Grace, "We knew they had some good shooters, so we made sure we knew where they were, contested their shots and made them a little uncomfortable. Thankfully they missed more than they made."

In Elon, the Bison face yet another challenge.  The Phoenix are 4-2 and have won four in a row, the latest a 77-68 win over MEAC rival North Carolina Central on Sunday. Elon is led by freshman guard Raven Preston (12.7 points per game, 8.2 rebounds per game), Evonna McGill (11.8 ppg) and Lenaejha Eva (11.3 points per game).

"Elon will be a different challenge," explains Grace. "They are very athletic and an aggressive defensive team. The pace will be uptempo. It's a quick turnaround, so we only have a day to prepare, but we will review what's necessary to be ready." The two teams met last year in Burlington, NC and Elon came away with a 60-44 win.


NEXT UP: Howard hosts Towson next Saturday, Dec. 10 in Burr. Tipoff is 2 pm.