PRINCESS ANNE, Md. (January 10, 2026) --- Senior forward Zennia Thomas (Cleveland) scored a team-high 18 points and freshman guard Ariella Henigan (Chicago) added 11 points but poor free throw shooting in the second half and a 10-4 closeout allowed the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) to pull out a 62-56 win over the Howard University women's basketball team in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown at the William P. Hytche Athletic Center.
 
It was the first MEAC loss of the season for the Bison, who had a two-game win streak snapped.
 
The two teams battled back-and-forth throughout the game.
 
The Bison led, 17-14, at the end of the first period and held a 28-27 advantage at the half.
 
Howard was able to get some breathing room at the end of three, 43-39, and then pushed the margin to nine, 48-39, the biggest of the game at the 7:57 mark of the fourth quarter.
 
Then, the Hawks made their move, outscoring the victors and cutting the deficit to one point, 53-52, at the 2:21 mark. From there, it came down who would make free throws.
 
UMES did it with some deft free throw shooting, converting on 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final stanza. Maryland Eastern Shore shot 17-of-19 for the game.
 
Howard came into the game shooting at a decent 71-percent clip, aided and abetted the host's cause by making only 2-of-4 and a season-worst 5-of-15 in the second half and a season low 48-percent (12-of-25) from the charity stripe.
 
The Howard defense again forced 22 turnovers, blocked six shots and recorded seven steals, but the UMES bench outscored their Bison counterparts, 30-14.
 
The Hawks also took advantage by outrebounding Howard, 23-13, in the fourth quarter.
 
Thomas, the conference leading scorer and rebounder, finished with 18 points, but the senior forward made only 5-of-13 free throw attempts.
 
Henigan contributed to the offense with 11 points but redshirt junior guard Zoe Stewart (Terre Haute, Ind.), one of the top scorers in the conference, finished with only seven points on 2-of-12 shooting from the floor.
 
No other Howard player reached double figures.
 
The Hawks were paced by Brianna Barnes, who came off the bench to lead all scorers with 22 points. Kalise Hill netted 11 points and Dakeiran Turner grabbed 11 rebounds in the win.
 
The win snapped a nine-game losing streak by the Hawks to Howard.
 
NEXT UP: Howard looks to get back on the win column when it travels to Durham, N.C., Saturday (Jan. 17) to take on the Eagles of North Carolina Central at 2 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the official Howard Athletics website www.hubison.com.