WASHINGTON, DC — Brooklynn Fort-Davis scored a game-high 19 points and Aziah Huidson had 15, but it was the second half play of Kaniyah Harris that helped Howard University hold off Delaware State University 51-49 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) women's game at Burr Gymnasium.
The injury-riddled Lady Bison (5-9, 1-0 in the MEAC), who were playing without three starters, including their top two scorers, got off to the early start, holding an 18-8 first quarter lead and a 33-18 advantage at the break.
Fort-Davis, a senior forward who was honored pre-game for reaching 500 career rebounds, tallied 13 of her 19 points in the first half, while Hudson, who eclipsed the 1,000-point mark in her career in the second quarter, added all 15 of her points in the first 20 minutes.
The Bison's lead ballooned to 20 midway through the third period before the Hornets (2-10, 0-1 in the MEAC) mounted a furious comeback, using a 12-2 run to cut the deficit to 47-45 at the 4:32 mark.
Coach Grace shared her thoughts on the comeback stating, "Delaware State did a great job in their run in the 4th quarter, they put themselves in a position to win the game. Thankfully, we were able to hold on at the end with a big defensive stop and free throws. We really struggled to score and that is why Delaware State was able to catapult back into the game. We can't go for long lengths of time without scoring. We need to capitalize better in our offensive possessions."
The two teams missed shots and made turnovers until Harris made plays down the stretch, getting some key steals, defensive rebounds and free-throws to secure the hard-fought win for HU.
"Kaniyah continues to do what she always has and that is, be reliable. I trust her. She is smart and competitive, and understands what needs to be done on the floor. She constantly does the intangibles that helps put us in situations to win. She does whatever it takes, and that is why she continues to be successful," beamed Grace.
Howard was playing without junior guard Destiny Howell, who scored a career-high 35 points in a win over VCU in the Bison's last outing, senior guard Iyanna Warren, the team's second-leading scorer (11.6), who missed the last four games, and senior forward Krislyn Marsh.
"With these two (Warren and Howell) out, I really just continued to play my game and involve my teammates more," explained Harris. "I would say the sole difference is how much of a leadership role I have to take on without Iyanna there. We usually split the floor general responsibilities, giving the other a little wiggle room to play around, so without her there I felt there was no room for error on my end, just straight execution."
During the DSU run, it was evident who had taken over the reins of floor general. Her teammates looked for her exclusively to make the right decision.
"I see my role changing on this team from freshman year," noted Harris. "I was more of a defensive player, coming in mostly when we needed a stop. Now I'm playing about 30 minutes a game, calling the shots and I play a major part in how much execution we have on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court. It's exciting seeing the progress you've made over the years, so I just want to continue to keep growing and show what I'm capable of."
Harris now has 26 assists in the past three games.
Fort-Davis just missed a double-double with nine rebounds to go along with her 19 points. Hudson added five assists to her point total and Harris, a junior guard, collected a game- and career-high 11 rebounds to go along with seven assists and two steals. Freshman Nile Miller, the reigning MEAC Rookie of the Week, collected seven points and seven rebounds.
Delaware State got 10 points each from Jessica Martino and Savannah Brooks.
NEXT UP: Howard will look to extend its win streal to three when it travels to Princess Anne, MD to take on the Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday at 5:30 pm
Contributors Jalisa Fulwood and Chevonne Mansfield
