WASHINGTON (February 13, 2026) – Howard University women's basketball team will be looking to extend its win streak to a season-best seven games when it hosts the Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) Saturday (Feb. 14). Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m., inside Burr Gymnasium.
 
FOLLOW THE ACTION
 
Bison Nation can follow all the action via ESPN+ and live stats. Kevin DiDomenico will handle the play-by-play and Coach Nikki Reid Geckeler will provide color commentary.
 
LAST TIMEOUT
 
UMES
 
The Hawks are coming off a home loss, 57-51, to Norfolk State Thursday (Feb. 12) after defeating the defending MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Champions, 63-60, back on Jan. 8 in Norfolk, Va.
 
HOWARD
 
On Feb. 12, redshirt junior guard Zoe Stewart (Terre Haute, Ind.) scored a team-high 17 points, reserve junior guard Destiny Bynum-Johnson (Newark, N.J.) contributed a season-high 16 points and senior forward Zennia Thomas (Cleveland) added 14 points for good measure to help the Bison pull away to a 68-51 win over Delaware State at Memorial Hall.
 
PROBABLE STARTERS/KEY RESERVES
 
UMES PROBABLE STARTERS/KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                                      Class                Position           2025-26 Stats                        
25        Ashanti Lynch                         Senior             Guard              12.7 ppg & 5.7 rpg
15        Kalise Hill                                Sophomore     Guard              6.9 ppg, 2.0 rpg & 62 assists
35        Dakieran Turner                     Senior             Forward          4.7 ppg & 7.2 rpg
12        Briana Barnes                         Senior             Forward          10.4 ppg & 4.2 rpg
33        Lainey Allen                            Senior             Forward          8.6 ppg & 6.9 rpg
 
UMES KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                                      Class                Position           2025-26 Stats                        
11        Desi Taylor                              Freshman        Guard              5.0 ppg & 42-percent 3FG%
32        Kaliya Perry                             Freshman        Forward          7.5 ppg & 5.3 rpg
8          Dayshawna Carter                  Graduate        Guard              6.8 ppg & 86-percent FT%
 
HOWARD PROBABLE STARTERS
 
No.      Name                                      Class                Position           2025-26 Stats                        
24        Zennia Thomas                       Senior             Forward          15.5 ppg, 7.7 rpg & 31 blocks
25        Nile Miller                               Senior             Forward          7.9 ppg, 5.8 rpg & 58 steals
11        Sa'lah Hemingway                  Junior              Forward          3.0 ppg & 2.9 rpg
23        Zoe Stewart                            R-Junior          Guard              12.2 ppg & 26 3FGM
4          Ariella Henigan                       Freshman        Guard              8.2 ppg & 50 assists
 
HOWARD KEY RESERVES
 
No.      Name                                      Class                Position           2025-26 Stats                        
15        April Edwards                         R-Sophomore Guard              4.8 ppg & 89-percent FT%
21        Rayne Durant                          Junior              Forward          2.9 ppg, 2.2 rpg & 15 blocks
5          Destiny Bynum-Johnson         Junior              Guard              6.2 ppg, 3.8 rpg & 23 3FGM
 
THE COACHES
 
UMES (14-12, 7-2 MEAC) is coached by Malikah Willis (Iowa, '88), who is in her second season. Howard (18-7, 8-1 MEAC) is led by Ty Grace (New Haven, '99), who is in her 11^th season and the second winningest coach in school history.
 
SERIES RECORD
 
On Jan. 10, the Hawks snapped a nine-game losing skid to Howard with a 62-56 win in Princess Anne. In that contest, Thomas finished with a team-high 18 points and seven rebounds. UMES was led by Brianna Barnes, who came off the bench to lead all scorers with 22 points.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore last win at Howard came on February 5, 2022 when the Hawks came away with a 66-59 win.
 
The Bison lead the series, 20-15, since 2005.
 
GAME NOTES
 
UMES
 
In the MEAC, the improved Hawks lead the league in rebounding margin…Individually, Ashanti Lynch ranks second in free throw shooting percentage (83-percent), fifth in scoring (12.7) and ninth in steals and rebounding…Barnes is fifth in free throw shooting percentage (74-percent) and 10^th scoring (10.4)…Dakerian Turner is third in rebounding (7.2)…Desi Taylor leads the conference in three-point shooting percentage (48-percent)…Kalise Hill is eighth in assists and seventh in steals…Kaliya Perry is fourth in blocked shots.
 
HOWARD
 
Howard leads the conference in scoring (66.0), field goal shooting percentage (41-percent), free throw shooting percentage (71-percent), turnover margin and assists/turnover…Nationally, the Bison are ranked 38^th in three-point shooting percentage defense…Some of Howard's success in close victories has been its free throw shooting, converting on 71-percent from the charity stripe…Nationally, Thomas, a strong candidate for MEAC Player of the Year, is tied for seventh in free throws attempts and tied for 16^th in free throws made…In conference play, Thomas leads the MEAC in scoring and rebounding…Thomas and follow classmate Nile Miller (Woodbury, N.J.) are preseason First Team All-MEAC selections…Thomas has reached double figures in all but three games this season and has recorded six double doubles…Stewart ranks fourth in field goal shooting percentage (43-percent), fifth in three-point shooting (33-percent) and seventh in three pointers made per game…Miller leads the MEAC in field goal shooting (46-percent)…Freshman guard Ariella Henigan (Chicago) ranks third in free throw shooting percentage...Junior forward Rayne Durant (New Haven, Conn.) is ninth in blocked shots…Junior guard Destiny Bynum-Johnson (Newark, N.J.) is ninth in three-point shooting percentage…Bynum-Johnson could be the Bison's wild card down the stretch, scoring 21 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 5-of-8 from downtown, in the past two games, including a season-high 16 points in the road win at Delaware State (Feb. 12).
 
NEXT UP
 
Howard hosts North Carolina Central for Senior Day Saturday (Feb. 21) at 2:30 p.m., inside Burr Gymnasium.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.