WEST POINT, N.Y. (December 29, 2025) --- Senior forward Nile Miller (Woodbury, N.J.) had one of her best all-around performances of the season with 14 points and eight rebounds, but it was not enough to overcome the foul trouble of fellow classmate forward Zennia Thomas (Cleveland) as the Howard University women's basketball team fell, 64-56, at Army in a nonconference clash inside Christi Arena.
 
The loss snapped a three-game win streak by the Bison (10-6) while the Cadets (9-2) won their fourth straight.
 
Thomas, the leading candidate for MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Player of the Year and team-leading scorer and rebounder, was shackled with early foul trouble. She was never able to get into any rhythm as the Cadets took advantage by going to their best player, Kya Smith, who finished with a game-high 27 points and 22 rebounds for a double-double.
 
With Thomas out of the lineup for most of the game, Miller, a preseason All-MEAC First Team selection, responded and made sure that her team stayed within striking distance until someone else stepped up.
 
The wait paid off as redshirt junior guard Zoe Stewart (Terre Haute, Ind.) emerged, tallying eight of her 12 points after intermission. It helped Howard erase a 10-point deficit to keep within two possessions of Army.
 
Then, freshman guard Ariella Henigan (Chicago) stepped up and contributed six of her 11 points in the second half with some key baskets or free throws. 
 
Yet, despite Smith's contributions, Howard was able to stay close. But in the end, there were two areas that perhaps decided the outcome of this hotly contested game.
 
Howard, who boasts one of the top defenses in women's college basketball, limited the hosts to 34-percent shooting from the floor while it managed only 33-percent.
 
The Bison came into the game holding opponents to 26-percent from beyond the arc. Army was able to connect on 4-of-23, but the problem for Howard was that it went 0-for-12 from beyond the arc.
 
The second statistic was the Bison at the free throw line. Howard came into the game shooting a respectable 72-percent from the charity stripe. The Bison missed seven of their 21 attempts and that would not have been so bad except that the Cadets converted on 24-of-27 for a sizzling 89-percent.
 
Smith was 15-for-15 and scored eight of her team's points down the stretch when Howard threatened with one of its recent signature endings.
 
Miller added two assists and a blocked shot for good measure.
 
Henigan, who continues to show that she is going to be a factor, added a steal and two assists to her stat line.
 
Junior guard Destiny Bynum-Johnson (Newark, N.J.) contributed six points and six rebounds off the bench and reserve redshirt sophomore forward Dally Moreno (Bronx, N.Y.) added seven points.
 
Thomas came into the game averaging almost 16.0 points and 7.0 rebounds. The Cleveland native finished with six points and four rebounds in the loss.
 
NEXT UP: Howard opens MEAC play Saturday (Jan. 3) when it travels to Orangeburg, S.C., to take on the Bulldogs of South Carolina State at 2 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the official Howard Athletics website www.hubison.com.