DURHAM, N.C. (January 17, 2026) – Senior forward Zennia Thomas (Cleveland) scored the last eight points of the game during a 1:46 stretch to give the Howard University women's basketball team a hard-fought 69-61 win over North Carolina Central University (3-14, 0-4 MEAC) in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown at McDougal-McLendon Arena.
 
Thomas showed why she is the best player in the conference. With the Bison coming off a 62-56 road loss at Maryland Eastern Shore (Jan. 10), the Cleveland native was determined to make sure that her team bounce back. In the loss, she finished with 18 points on 6-of-15 shooting from the floor, but more importantly missed 8-of-13 free throws.
 
Thomas got Howard (13-7, 3-1 MEAC) rolling early with eight first half points, but she again got in foul trouble, limiting her minutes and impact on the game. That is where freshman guard Ariella Henigan (Cleveland) picked up the slack, scoring nine points in the first 20 minutes to give the Bison a 31-28 lead at the half.
 
From there, it became a back-and-forth affair as neither team was able to get an edge. The two squads were deadlocked, 48-48, at the end of three quarters.
 
Both teams went through periods of not scoring through most of the third and fourth periods. There were three ties and five lead changes. North Carolina Central's Nia Young scored a short jumper to tie the game, 61-61, at the 2:16 mark. That is when a combination of the Bison's vaunted defense and its premier player put the game away.
 
First, Thomas scored on a turnaround in the lane to give her team the lead, 63-61, with 1:46 remaining. Meanwhile, the Howard defense forced poor shots and turnovers for the Eagles. Thomas would make them pay with converting one-of-two free throws at the 1:19 mark, upping the score, 64-61.
 
After forcing missed shots by the Eagles, Thomas displayed her dominance on the boards as she grabbed five rebounds in the last minute. Following a defensive rebound, she would convert one-of-two from the charity stripe, 67-61, with 33 seconds.
 
Thomas, preseason All-MEAC First Team selection, then put the game away for the Bison with two more free throws, 69-61.
 
For the game, Thomas tallied 19 points, 13 coming after intermission, while grabbing 13 rebounds and a blocked shot.
 
Henigan, who is making a strong push for MEAC Rookie of the Year consideration, contributed 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting, along with three steals.
 
Senior forward Nile Miller (Woodbury, N.J.) added nine points, four rebounds and three blocked hosts.
 
Redshirt sophomore guard April Edwards (Little Rock, Ark.) came off the bench with seven points and a team-high three assists.
 
Sometimes in victory like this one, the statistics do not tell the whole story.
 
Reserve junior forward Sa'lah Hemingway (San Bernardino, Calif.) finished with only six points, but her three assists and blocked shot in the final stanza played a huge role.
 
It must be noted that Howard played without the services of starting guard Destiny Bynum-Johnson (Newark, N.J.), who missed her second straight game with an injury.
 
Redshirt junior guard Zoe Stewart (Terre Haute, Ind.), the team's second leading scorer (12.1 ppg), had another poor shooting performance. She has now missed 18-of-23 from the field during the past two games.
 
North Carolina Central was led by Morgan Callahan with a team-high 13 points and seven rebounds and Najah Lane netted 11 points in the loss.
 
NEXT UP: Howard travels to Baltimore to take on the Eagles of Coppin State Thursday (Jan. 22) at 6 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the official Howard Athletics website www.hubison.com.