WASHINGTON (December 19, 2024) – Howard University women's basketball team travels to Philadelphia to take on Saint Joe's Friday (Dec. 20) in the Hawk Classic. Tipoff is slated for 11 a.m.
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GAME 13
EVENT: Hawk Classic Presented by Jersey Mike's
PARTICIPANTS: Howard (Bison) at St. Joe's (Hawks)
DATE: December 20, 2024
PLACE: Michael J. Hagan 85 Arena in Philadelphia, Pa.
TIME: 11 a.m.
LAST TIMEOUT
HOWARD
Graduate guard
Destiny Howell (Queens, N.Y.) came out of a mini, early season slump to pour in a game-high 30 points, but no other player reached double figures as the Bison fell, 75-58, to Old Dominion University (ODU) at Burr Gymnasium.
ST. JOE'S
St. Joe's (7-2) is coming off a 74-48 win over Maine Monday (Dec. 16) for their second straight. The Hawks were led by Mackenzie Smith with 26 points, Laura Ziegler with 16 points, Talya Brugler with 14 points and Gabby Casey with 11 points. St. Joe's shot 60-percent from the floor in the win.
SERIES RECORD
This is the first meeting between the two institutions.
THE COACHES
Howard is coached by
Ty Grace (New Haven,'99), who is in her 10
th season. The Hawks are led by Cindy Griffin (St. Joe's, '91), who is in her 24
th season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
HU PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Name 2024-25 Stats
1
Destiny Howell 16.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg & team-leading 26 3FGM
22
Kaiya Creek 6.7 ppg, 4.0 rpg & 11 3FGM
25
Nile Miller 3.8 ppg, 3.6 rpg, team-leading eight blocks & 21 steals
0
Saniyah King 8.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg, team-leading 65 assists & 15 steals
24
Zennia Thomas 9.9 ppg, 7.2 rpg, 46-percent FG%, team-leading 37 ORB
HU KEY RESERVES
No. Name 2024-25 Stats
23
Tyana Walker 4.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg & 83-percent FT%
14
Vanessa Blake 3.2 ppg & 2.2 rpg
ST. JOE'S PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Name 2024-25 Stats
21 Mackenzie Smith 17.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 50-percent 3FG% & 90-percent FT%
4 Laura Ziegler 17.7 ppg, team-leading 11.1 rpg & 11 blocks
0 Talya Brugler 17.0 ppg, 37-percent 3FG% & 34 assists
15 Gabby Casey 10.7 ppg & 18 steals
3 Emma Boslet 2.8 rpg & 36 assists
ST. JOE'S KEY RESERVES
No. Name 2024-25 Stats
1 Rhian Stokes 5.2 ppg & 1.9 rpg
2 Aleah Snead 4.0 ppg & 3.1 rpg
GAME NOTES
HOWARD
The 30 points for Howell was a season-high and five off her career best (35)...Howel has scored in double figures in all but one game this season and needs 28 points to move up on the school all-time scoring list to No. 18 with 1,149 points and counting...senior forward
Vanessa Blake (Summerville, S.C) came off the bench versus ODU (Dec. 17) to have her best game of the season with nine points and six rebounds....Freshman guard
Saniyah King (Washington), the early season favorite for MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Rookie of the Year, was named Rookie of the Week for the fourth time this season Monday (Dec. 16)…King leads the team and the MEAC in assists (65) and minutes played for the Bison (31.3 per game)...King has struggled of late with her shooting, connecting on 1-of-14 from the floor versus ODU, including 0-for-6 from the three-point line…Junior forward
Zennia Thomas (Cleveland), who had averaged 20 points and 12 rebounds in the past three games, including back-to-back double doubles, finished with only six points and five rebounds against ODU after early foul trouble limited her to only 17 minutes of playing time…Redshirt sophomore
Tyana Walker (Leawood, Kan.) has also come on strong with 26 points in the past two games.
ST. JOE'S
The Hawks are averaging almost 80 points per outing while limiting its opponent to 54 points per contest...as a team, the Hawks are shooting 48-percent and 41-percent from beyond the arc...four of St. Joe's starters average in double figures, including three Hawks with over 17 points per contest…The Hawks have a signature victory over Big East member Syracuse this season.
NEXT UP
Howard continues play in the Hawks Classic and will take on either Northwestern or college of Charleston on Saturday.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.
