WASHINGTON (March 11, 2025) - Howard University women's basketball team begins postseason play in the quarterfinal round of the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Tournament. The Bison (19-10, 12-2 MEAC) enter the tournament as the No. 2 seed and will take on Delaware State (5-23, 1-13 MEAC), the No. 7 seed.
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GAME 30
EVENT: MEAC Tournament
PARTICIPANTS: No. 7 Delaware State (Hornets) vs. No. 2 Howard (Bison)
DATE: Wednesday, March 12, 2025
LOCATION: Norfolk Scope in Norfolk, Va.
TIME: 2 p.m.
LAST TIMEOUT
DELAWARE STATE
Delaware State (DSU) concluded the regular season with a 69-35 loss to Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Thursday (March 6) that extended its losing streak to four. The Hornets were led in scoring by Kierra McElrath (13 points) and Najah Lane (eight points).
HOWARD
On March 6, junior forward
Zennia Thomas (Cleveland) recorded her fifth double-double of the season (15 points & 11 rebounds) and graduate guard
Destiny Howell (Queens, N.Y.) added 15 points but a fourth-quarter run proved to be the difference as HU fell, 68-56, to Norfolk State (NSU) in the regular season finale at Burr Gymnasium.
WHEN THE TWO LAST MET
On Feb. 15, graduate forward
Kaiya Creek (Seat Pleasant, Md.) came off the bench to score a season-high 21 points to lead the Bison to a 62-45 win over Delaware State at Memorial Hall. DSU was led by Mcelrath with a team-high 18 points and six rebounds and Mahogany Cottingham with 15 points.
A month earlier (Jan. 4), Howell scored a game-high 22 points to lead four Bison in double figures as HU held off a pesky Delaware State team, 74-66, at Burr Gymnasium. McElrath led the Hornets with her career high 31 points on 12-of-23, including 6-of-12 from beyond the arc. Cottingham tallied 16 points and five assists.
SERIES RECORD
The Bison defeated the Hornets, 62-45 in Dover, Del. (Feb. 15) for their 18
th straight win over DSU. Howard holds a commanding 25-11 lead in the series since 2005.
THE COACHES
Delaware State is coached by Jazmone Turner (Muskingum, '12), who is in her second year at the helm. Howard is led by
Ty Grace (New Haven, '99), who is in her 10
th season.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
DELAWARE STATE PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Name 2024-25 Stats
4 Najah Lane 6.4 ppg, 2.0 rpg & team-high 68 assists
14 Mahogany Cottingham 12.1 ppg & 2.4 rpg & 88-percent FT%
10 Ericka Huggins 7.0 ppg, 7.2 rpg, team-high 21 blocks & 81-percent FT%
23 Aubree Murray 2.9 ppg & 3.6 rpg
00 Brooke Barnes 3.6 ppg
DELAWARE STATE KEY RESERVES
No. Name 2024-25 Stats
5 Kierra McElrath 13.4 ppg, 3.6 rpg, 46 3FGM & 81-percent FT%
55 Circe Rubio-Remaker 3.9 ppg & 4.4 rpg
HOWARD PROBABLE STARTERS
No. Name 2024-25 Stats
1
Destiny Howell 15.1 ppg, 4.3 rpg & team-leading 70 3FGM
23
Tyana Walker 5.2 ppg, 2.3 rpg & 33 steals
25
Nile Miller 5.6 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 47 steals & team-leading 32 blocks
0
Saniyah King 12.0 ppg, 3.1 rpg & 39-percent 3FG%
24
Zennia Thomas 10.9 ppg, 7.0 rpg & 50-percent FG%
HOWARD KEY RESERVES
No. Name 2024-25 Stats
22
Kaiya Creek 5.6 ppg & 3.2 rpg
14
Vanessa Blake 3.8 ppg, 2.9 rpg & team-leading 58-percent FG%
32
Janyah Bohanon 3.3 ppg & 1.2 rpg
GAME NOTES
DELAWARE STATE
The Hornets have been plagued all season on both defense and offense…In that past four games, DSU has allowed almost 80 points while averaging only 47 points per game…Opponents are shooting 43-percent from the field and DSU only 27-percent from three…Hornet opponents are getting 21 points off their turnovers…DSU is one of the top free throw shooting teams in the country with three players shooting better than 80-percent.
HOWARD
Howell is now ninth on the all-time Howard scoring list with 1,392 points…she needs 64 point to climb to eighth all-time leading scorer, surpassing Shannon Carlisle (2003-08)…Howell has made 15-of-her-last-16 from the charity stripe while recording at least one three-pointer in all but two games this season...Howell is the only Howard player to start all 29 games this season…Howell has set personal career season records in assists (64), blocks (16) and steals (36)...Howell has scored 20 points or more eight times this season...Howell has reached double figures in five straight games, going 14-of-29 from downtown while racking up 16 assists, nine rebounds and eight steals during that stretch…freshman guard
Saniyah King (Washington), the odds-on favorite for MEAC Rookie of the Year, has been named Rookie of the Week 11 times this season...Despite not playing the game at South Carolina State (March 3), King still leads the MEAC in assists (127), dealing out 59 assists in the past 12 games before her absence…King has reached double figures scoring in 14-of-the-past-16 games, including a career-best 25 points versus Morgan State (Feb. 17)…Miller has also been key to the team's success with 31 points, 29 rebounds, six steals and five blocks in that period…Thomas has scored 56 points and grabbed 41 rebounds in those five games.…Sophomore guard
Janyah Bohanon (Cleveland) has come off the bench to score 30 points, grab 12 rebounds and hand out five assists in the past four games…Creek has 25 points, 17 rebounds and five steals in the last five games.
MEAC STATS
DELAWARE STATE
The Hornets lead the MEAC in free throw shooting (71-percent).
Individually, McElrath ranks third in steals and free throw shooting (81-percent), fifth in three-point shooting percentage and sixth in scoring (13.4 ppg)….Cottingham leads the conference in free throw shooting (88-percent), seventh in three-point shooting, ninth in minutes played, steals and scoring (12.2 ppg) and 10
th in three-point shooting percentage (33-percent)…Huggins is fourth in rebounding (7.2) and sixth in blocked shots…Lane ranks eighth in assists.
HOWARD
Howard leads the MEAC in shooting percentage defense (36-percent).
Individually, Howell leads the MEAC in three pointers made per game (2.4), second in free throw shooting (86-percent), fifth in scoring (15.1), sixth in three-point shooting percentage (35-percent) and ninth in assists and 11
th in minutes played…King leads the conference in assists per game (4.7), second in assists/turnover ratio and three-point shooting (39-percent), fifth in free throw shooting (74-percent), sixth in minutes played (32.0), 10
th in scoring (12.0) and three-point shooting percentage and 13
th in field goal shooting (38-percent) and steals…Thomas leads the MEAC in shooting (50-percent), fifth in rebounding (7.0), eighth in free throw shooting and ninth in blocks…Miller is fifth in blocks, ninth in rebounds and 10
th in steals.
NCAA STATS
HOWARD
As a team, the Bison ranks 15
th in field goal defense (36-percent) and 34
th in offensive rebounding.
Individually, King is ranked second in assists among all freshmen behind Liv McGill (Florida)…King is one of five freshmen who average over 10 points and four assists per game…Howell ranks 40
th nationally in free throw shooting.
NEXT UP
The winner advances to Friday's semifinal round, facing the winner of the quarterfinal match between No. 3 UMES and No. 6 Morgan State. That game is scheduled for 2 p.m.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at
www.HUBison.com.
