WASHINGTON (January 24, 2025) – Howard University women's basketball team returns to action Saturday (Jan. 25), battling rival Norfolk State (NSU) in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown. Tipoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
 
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GAME 19
 
PARTICIPANTS: Howard (Bison) at Norfolk State (Spartans)
DATE: Saturday, January 25, 2025
LOCATION: Echols Gymnasium in Norfolk, Va.
 
LAST TIMEOUT
 
HOWARD
 
On Jan. 13, freshman guard Saniyah King (Washington) scored 15 of her team-high 17 points in the second half and junior forward Nile Miller (Haddonfield, N.J.) added 15 of her career-high 16 points after intermission to lead the Bison to a 76-71 come-from-behind win over Coppin State at Burr Gymnasium.
 
NORFOLK STATE
 
Norfolk State (17-4, 4-0 MEAC) is coming off a 123-51 win over Virginia-Lynchburg Saturday (Jan. 18) in a nonconference game, extending its current win streak to six. The Spartans placed six players in double figures, paced by Da'Brya Clark with 25 points.
 
SERIES RECORD
 
This is the 37^th meeting between the two rivals since the 2007-08 season, splitting the previous 10 matchups. Howard holds a 19-17 advantage during the span.
 
The Spartans have won two-in-a-row, including last year's 51-46 victory in the MEAC championship. Howard last won, 73-60, in D.C. (Jan. 20, 2024). Four of the last five matchups have been decided by five points or less.
 
THE COACHES

Howard is coached by Ty Grace (New Haven,'99), who is in her 10^th season. The Spartans are coached by Larry Vickers (Norfolk State, '07), who is his 10th season.
 
PLAYERS TO WATCH
 
HOWARD PROBABLE STARTERS
 
No.      Name                          2024-25 Stats                                                                                    
1          Destiny Howell             15.4 ppg, 4.2 rpg, team-leading 37 3FGM & 84-percent FT%
22        Kaiya Creek                 5.7 ppg & 3.8 rpg
25        Nile Miller                    5.6 ppg, 4.4 rpg, team-leading 15 blocks & 33 steals
0          Saniyah King                11.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg, team-leading 90 assists & 29 steals
24        Zennia Thomas            9.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg, 46-percent FG% & 53 offensive rebounds
 
HOWARD KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                          2024-25 Stats                                                                        
23        Tyana Walker              4.7 ppg, 2.3 rpg & 83-percent FT%
14        Vanessa Blake             4.1 ppg, 2.6 rpg, team-leading 63-percent FG%
 
NORFOLK STATE PROBABLE STARTERS
 
No.      Name                          2024-25 Stats                                                                                    
1          Da'Brya Clark                9.0 ppg & 2.9 rpg
3          Diamond Johnson      18.5 ppg, 5.7 rpg, team-high 84 assists & 40 3FGM
2          Niya Fields                  5.3 ppg & 2.0 rpg
22        Kierra Wheeler           14.9 ppg, 9.0 rpg, 46-percent FG% & 42 blocks
12        Makoye Diawara        6.0 ppg, 5.4 rpg & 46-percent FG% 
 
NORFOLK STATE KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                          2024-25 Stats                                                                                       
4          Anjane Richardson     9.3 ppg & 2.1 rpg
24        Da'niyah Williams       3.8 ppg & 2.1 rpg
 
GAME NOTES
 
BISON HOOVES
 
Destiny Howell (Queens, N.Y.), the sharpshooting graduate guard, is now 16^th on the all-time Howard scoring list with 1,228 points…Howell has made 28-of-her-last-30 from the charity stripe and has recorded a made at least one three pointers in all but two games this season...Howell is on schedule to have a career season in assists...King, the early season favorite for MEAC Rookie of the Year, has been named Rookie of the Week eight times this season...King leads the MEAC in assists (84)...King has recorded 26 assists and only 10 turnovers during the current four-game stretch, including an impressive nine assists and only one turnover in the win over Delaware State (Jan. 4)... King set yet another career best with four steals in the win over Morgan State (Jan. 11)...The Bison are averaging 75 points while limiting their opponents to under 56 points during the current streak...This season, the Bison have held their opponents to 64.2 points per game and 24-percent from three-point land...The Bison are averaging 3.3 blocks and 14.4 points off turnovers…Howard is averaging under 60 points and shooting under 24-percent from three-point distance this season...Miller has come on strong of late, making 23-of-her-last-43 shots and picking up seven blocks and 16 steals during that period…redshirt sophomore guard Tyana Walker (Leawood, Kan.), one of the premier three-point shooters in the MEAC, came alive with her best performance of the season, connecting on 6-of-9 from the field, including 5-of-6 from downtown in the past two victories…Sophomore guard Janyah Bohanon (Cleveland) came off the bench against Coppin State (Jan. 13) and had the best all-around game of her career with 13 points and two rebounds in just 12 minutes of play.
 
SPARTAN NOTES
 
Norfolk State has recorded big wins over SEC opponents, Auburn and Missouri, on the road…The Spartans are averaging over 70 points per game and allowing under 60 points to opponents…Much of Norfolk State's success has come on the defensive side, averaging 12.3 steals and 4.3 blocks…Clark was named MEAC Player of the Week Monday (Jan. 20)…A strong candidate for MEAC Player of the Year Diamond Johnson was named the World Exposure Report Player of the Week…Johnson has also been named to the Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year list.
 
MEAC STATS
 
HOWARD
 
Howard is second in defense (63.2 ppg allowed), field goal shooting defense (38-percent), team offensive rebounding (13.6), blocked shots (3.3) and assists (11.78).
 
Individually, Howell is second in free throw shooting (84-percent), third in three pointers made per game (2.1), fourth in scoring (15.4) and ninth in minutes played...King leads the MEAC in assists (5.0), third in assists/turnover ratio, fifth in minutes played and 13^th in scoring...junior forward Zennia Thomas (Cleveland) ranks second in field goal percentage (46-percent) and sixth in rebounding (7.1)…Miller is ranks sixth in both blocked shots and steals.
 
NSU
 
As a team, Norfolk State leads the MEAC in scoring (70.9 ppg), defense (59.6 ppg allowed), scoring margin (11.3 ppg), field goal percentage (43-percent), free throw shooting (70-percent), turnover margin (+4.76), blocked shots (4.29) and steals (12.29).
 
Individually, Johnson leads the MEAC in scoring (18.5 ppg) and steals (3.3), second in assists/turnover and assists (4.2), fourth in minutes played, seventh in three-point shooting (34-percent) and eighth in rebounding (5.7)...Kierra Wheeler leads the conference in blocks, second in rebounding, third in field goal percentage (46-percent), fifth in scoring and seventh in steals…Diawara is 10^th in rebounding…Clark is third in three-point shooting (38-percent) and steals and eighth in field goal shooting (42-percent)...Fields is in three-point shooting (36-percent) and ninth in assists.
 
NCAA STATS
 
King is ranked second among all freshmen in assists behind Liv McGill of Florida.
 
NEXT UP
 
Norfolk State hosts South Carolina State (SCSU) Saturday (Feb. 1) at 2 p.m. Howard entertains SCSU Monday (Feb. 3) at 5:30 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.