NORFOLK, Va. (January 25, 2025) – Guards Saniyah King (Washington) and Destiny Howell (Queens, N.Y.) combined for 24 points and 11 assists and junior forward Nile Miller (Haddonfield, N.Y.) had her best all-around in a Bison uniform, but it was not enough to overcome a big third quarter run as the Howard University women's basketball team fell, 69-53, to rival Norfolk State University (NSU) in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown at Joseph G. Echols Memorial Hall before 2,692 fans.
 
The two preseason co-favorites to win the conference duked it out early as the Bison got just enough of an advantage to take a 29-26 lead to the locker room.
 
Howard (10-9, 3-1 MEAC) was able to extend its lead to five with a 7-0 run to start the third period. Then the Spartans, who have defeated two SEC (Southeastern Conference) teams (Missouri & Auburn) on the road this season, turned to their dynamic duo of graduate guard Diamond Johnson and junior forward Kierra Wheeler, who combined for 16 of the team's 18 points to lead, 44-37, heading into the fourth quarter.
 
Howell, a graduate guard, and King, a true freshman, did all they could to keep their team in it, but the play of Johnson and Wheeler proved to be too much.
 
Miller, arguably the best defender in the conference, has come on late to up her scoring production. The 6-foot-1 forward finished with an impressive stat line: 11 points; 12 rebounds; four blocked shots and three steals. It was the length of Miller that caused problems for NSU's All-MEAC center Wheeler, who finished with a double-double (17 points & 10 rebounds), but went 7-of-22, thanks to Miller's length. Wheeler came into the game with the fourth-best shooting percentage (45-percent) in the conference.
 
Johnson, the graduate transfer in her second season with the Spartans, has had problems with the Bison in three meetings, but the MEAC leading scorer had her best game in four matches versus Howard, scoring a game-high 24 points, collecting eight rebounds and dishing out seven assists in 38 minutes of play.
 
Despite the production of the Johnson-Wheeler duo, it was the Howard miscues that ultimately proved to be the difference. Norfolk State (18-4, 5-0 MEAC) forced 20 Bison gifts and turned them into 24 points.
 
King and Howell each collected 12 points. The New York native also finished with a career-tying five assists. The D.C. product, among the conference leaders in assists, added six dimes to go with her point totals.
 
Junior forward Zennia Thomas (Cleveland) contributed eight points and eight rebounds in 26 minutes.
 
Howard had a four-game win streak snapped and suffered its first MEAC loss of the season.
 
The Bison have dropped four-of-the-last-five to their rival with the last victory coming last January in Burr Gymnasium. The two rivals meet again Thursday (March 6) at 5 p.m., in D.C., for the regular season finale.
 
NEXT UP: Howard gets a few days off before resuming action Monday (Feb. 3) versus South Carolina State at 5:30 p.m., inside Burr Gymnasium.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.