NORFOLK, Va. (March 5, 2026) – Redshirt junior guard Zoe Stewart (Terre Haute, Ind.) scored a team-high 19 points and freshman guard Ariella Henigan (Chicago) and senior forward Nile Miller (Woodbury, N.J.) added 14 points and 13 points, respectively, to lead the Howard University women's basketball team to an impressive 74-59 win over Norfolk State (NSU) in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) showdown at Joseph G. Echols Gym.
 
The victory gave HU its first outright MEAC regular season title since the 2001-02 campaign. It was Howard's 11^th straight win to close out the season.
 
Howard (23-7, 13-1 MEAC) set the tone early, bolting out to a 23-11 first quarter lead and maintained the cushion with a 42-29 advantage at the half.
 
Stewart, the team's second-leading scorer at 12.0 points per game, saved her best all-around effort for this important game. The Indiana native connected on 7-of- 11 from the floor, including 4-of-5 from downtown while displaying her all-around skills that kept the defensive minded Spartans off balance all night with her deft shooting. She also made her presence felt by grabbing three rebounds, handing out three assists and recording three steals in 28 minutes of productive play.
 
Henigan, who has begun to come on late in the season, contributed 14 points, 10 of which came from the charity stripe where she went a perfect 10-for-10. The Chicago product has been productive with 35 points in the last two contests on 7-of-10 shooting and a sizzling 19-of-20 from the free throw line.
 
Miller, arguable the top defensive player in the MEAC, scored 13 points, six above her season average. The senior forward, who has been a part of the program for four years, still found time to grab 11 rebounds for a double-double, along with four steals. Miller's statistics in the past two contests reads: 15 points; 13 rebounds and four steals.
 
Senior forward Zennia Thomas (Cleveland), the odds-on favorite for MEAC Player of the Year, failed to reach double figures for the first time since Dec. 29 (at Army) and only the fourth time all season. Still, she served as a key factor with nine points and 11 rebounds in the win.
 
Junior forward Sa'lah Hemingway (San Bernardino, Calif.), a steady contributor all season, especially in big games, tallied nine points and eight rebounds, almost doubling her season average in both statistical categories.
 
For the game, HU outrebounded the Spartans, 46-34, scored 19 points off Norfolk State turnovers and held them to 4-of-20 from beyond the arc. Offensively, the Bison connected on 7-of-20 from three-point land and converted 21-of-26 free throws.
 
The Spartans came into the game as the MEAC's second-hottest team, having won six-in-a-row since they dropped a game at Howard (Jan. 31). They were led by Jasha Clinton with 19 points and Da'Brya Clark with 13 points. No other Spartan reached double figures in scoring.
 
NEXT UP:  As the top seed, Howard will face No. 8 South Carolina State in the MEAC Quarterfinals Wednesday (March 11) at noon.
 
The Spartans, the defending regular season and tournament champions, are the third seed and will meet No. 6 Morgan State Thursday (March 12) at 2 p.m.
 
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.