By Joshua Heron
Howard University News Service
The Lady Bison plummeted the University of Maryland Eastern Shore 80-59 at home, earning their fifth straight victory.
Coach Ty Grace’s team came out the gates firing, taking a demanding 21-12 first-quarter lead, and never looked back.
Led by junior guard Destiny Howell with 25 points on 57% shooting from the field and a perfect 4-4 from behind the arc, the team persisted in resolve and refused to take their foot off the pedal.
Graduate guard Aziah Hudson poured in 15 points, including three 3-point field goals in 26 minutes of play. Her fellow graduate mate, Krislyn Marsh, contributed with eight points.
The younger forces granted Coach Grace peace that the program would be in good hands upon the departure of seniors and graduate students.
Sophomore guard Nyla Cooper tallied 11 points on 50% shooting from the field and 60% from the three. The team nailed a jaw-dropping 10 of its 15 attempts from the three and shot 48.1% from the field.
Every championship team requires an outstanding effort on defense, and the Lady Bison also made their presence known on the other end of the court.
Howard accumulated 27 points off turnovers to UMES’s 10. UMES cashed in only 31% of their field goal attempts and was restricted to 8.33% from the field in the second quarter.
The team received high praise from associate head coach Brian Davis.
“Our team came out with a tremendous amount of energy and effort on both ends of the floor,” Davis said.
He recognizes the fans influence on the players performance as well.
“The fans were into the game from tipoff, which really made for an awesome experience and created momentum, which our players used as fuel to play well,” Davis said.
Howard women’s basketball is now 7-2 in the Mid-East Atlantic Conference and is peaking at the right time. After starting the season 3-9, the team is drowning in confidence en route to a title defense at the MEAC tournament. The tournament takes place March 8-12 in Norfolk, Virginia.
The reigning champions look to continue their dominant play against 5-18 Coppin State in Baltimore on Saturday, Feb.18.
Joshua Heron covers sports for HUNewsService.com and The Hilltop.
