NORFOLK, Va. (December 7, 2025) —Senior forward Zennia Thomas (Cleveland) scored a team-high 21 points and redshirt junior guard Zoe Stewart (Terre Haute, Ind.) added 15 points but it was not enough to overcome a fourth quarter scoring drought as the Howard University women's basketball team fell, 63-59, at Old Dominion University (7-3) in a nonconference contest in Norfolk, Va.
 
The Bison (7-4) held a slim margin for most of the game until the Monarchs rallied to take the lead, 53-47, courtesy of a 19-10 run at the end of three quarters.
 
Howard was still in good shape and battled the host throughout the final period despite trailing.
 
Thomas, a MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Player of the Year candidate, scored eight of her points during a critical three-minute stretch, made sure that her team stayed in the fray.
 
Then, both teams went cold and Howard had numerous chances to cut into the six-point deficit. Each time, the Bison defense would cause Old Dominion to come up empty, it failed to take advantage. The Howard offense went scoreless for over three minutes.
 
Although ODU (Old Dominion) was unable to put the visitors away, the game hinged on the Monarchs ability to stave off the Bison's attempts to cut into the lead.
 
ODU's Simaru Fields, who matched Thomas's totals of 21 points, made four key free throws, and teammates Kelsey Thompson and En'Dya Buford combined for their team's last eight points.
 
Thomas continues to be a strong force as she converted on 9-of-18 from the field, along with six rebounds, three steals, two assists and two blocked shots.
 
Stewart, who has come on late, led the Bison early by scoring 10 of her points in the first half. She finished with on 6-of-14 shooting and reached double figures for the fifth straight game.
 
Redshirt sophomore guard April Edwards (Little Rock, Ark.) contributed 10 points on 3-of-6 shooting.
 
The trio combined to go a respectable 18-of-8 from the floor, but the rest of the team went 5-of-15.
 
The Bison came into the game with a solid 74-percent shooting average from the free throw line, but the team had its worst effort of the season (50-percent).
 
For the game, ODU connected on 15-of-21 from the charity stripe.
 
NEXT UP: Howard continues its Virginia road swing at the University of Virgina in Charlottesville, Va. Wednesday (Dec. 10) at 6 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the official Howard Athletics website www.hubison.com.