NORFOLK, Va. (March 9, 2023) - No. 3 Howard University women's basketball team meets No. 7 Maryland Eastern Shore Hawks (UMES) in the semifinal round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament Friday, March 10, at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Virginia. The game is set to start at 2 p.m. and will be streamed live on ESPN+.
FOLLOW THE ACTION
Bison Nation can follow all the action via
ESPN+ and/or
live stats. Fans can also live listen to the action via
WHBC96.3DH3.
LAST TIMEOUT
Thursday (March 9), HU (15-13, 10-4 MEAC) beat No. 6 Delaware State in a blowout, 67-35. The Lady Bison were a force to be reckoned with on the defensive end, holding the Hornets to 26-percent from the field and 1-of-19 from the three-point line.
Graduate guard
Aziah Hudson (Massapequa, N.Y.) shone in her MEAC Tournament debut, leading the team in scoring with 21 points on 7-of-9 shooting, along with four assists in the win.
MEAC Player of the Year junior guard
Destiny Howell (Queens, N.Y.) blew the game open for Howard in the first quarter with an 11-point outburst. She finished with an 18-point effort against the Lady Hornets.
Senior forward
Brooklynn Fort-Davis (Chicago) finished the game with a double-double (11 points and 11 rebounds) while junior guard
Kaniyah Harris (Capitol Heights, Md.) had herself a historic game, with a stat line of 12 assists, 12 rebounds, four blocks and two steals.
According to Stats Perform, no other player has had that stat line in the NBA, WNBA or Division I men's or women's basketball since the year 2000 other than all-time NBA leading scorer, LeBron James. James achieved the feat on Feb. 18, 2010, against the Denver Nuggets.
MATCHUP PREVIEW
Last year, HU took down UMES in the semifinal round, 68-54, en route to the MEAC Tournament crown.
The Lady Bison and the Hawks have met twice previously this season, with Howard winning both games.
Howard won, 56-47, in the first meeting (Jan. 9) despite an off night from Howell. Hudson led the team in scoring that night with 21 points, going 6-of-9 from three, and Fort-Davis helping with 17 points and eight rebounds.
In the rematch (Feb. 13), the Lady Bison won in a blowout, 80-59. This time Howell was back to her usual self with 25 points, including four three-pointers. Hudson contributed 15 points and added two steals in the victory.
HOWARD
Howard leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio and second in opponent field goal percentage (36.7%), three-pointers and three-point percentage.
Sophomore guard
Nyla Cooper (Fayetteville, N.C.) is one of the best three-point shooters in the MEAC, ranking third in three-point percentage (34.6%).
Harris is the MEAC's leading assist-maker and top 30 in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio.
UMES
UMES (10-19, 5-9 MEAC) knocked off No 2. Morgan State in a huge upset win for the program. They held the Bears to 26-percent from the field and 22-percent from three in an excellent defensive showing.
Junior guard Zamara Haynes (Philadelphia), who made the All-Conference Second Team, led the way for the Hawks, scoring 16 points.
Sophomore forward/center Ariana Seawell (Bronx, N.Y.) chipped in 10 points and six rebounds in the win.
UMES comes in second in the conference in free-throw percentage (68.4%) and rebounding margin and third in the MEAC in scoring (61.5 PPG,) field goal percentage (37.6%) and opponent field goal percentage (38.4%.).
Freshman guard Ja'la Bannerman (Baltimore) was named to the All-Conference Rookie Team and was second in the MEAC in free-throw percentage (80.2%.).
SERIES RECORD
Howard is on a three-game win streak against UMES since the 2021-22 season.
UPCOMING SCHEDULE
If the Lady Bison win, they will face either No. 1 Norfolk State or No. 4 North Carolina Central in the MEAC Championship game Saturday, March 11. Tipoff TBD.
For more information, visit meacsports.com or the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.
