Bison overcome early deficit to defeat Pirates
GREENVILLE, N.C. (December 16, 2019) – Howard University women’s basketball team overcame a 13-point deficit to defeat East Carolina (ECU), 67-51, thanks to a 42-point second half outburst.
“Overall, tonight was a solid win,” said Howard women’s basketball head coach Ty Grace. “We knew tonight’s game would be tough because ECU [East Carolina] does a solid job in their press. We started off with a ton of turnovers, but finally settled in the second quarter.”
With the victory, HU matched its longest winning streak of the season at three while improving to 7-4 overall.
.@HowardBison_WBB hasn’t made the NCAA’s since 2001, but they’re 7-4 and got an UP!set over East Carolina (win prob: 20.2%) yesterday. It looks like BCC and Norfolk are the other top tier teams in the MEAC this year, get ready for some battles. ⚔ https://t.co/J5awdmoDjh
— The Mid-Majority™ (@themidmajority) December 17, 2019
Senior guard Sarah Edmond (Freeport, N.Y.) filled the stat sheet, finishing with a game-high 17 points, nine boards, four assists and four steals. Second-year forward Krislyn Marsh (Duncanville, Texas) added 12 points, including 10 points after halftime.
Moments after intermission, Howard trailed, 31-34, but scored six unanswered to take a three-point advantage, 37-31, with less than five minutes left in the third. At the 3:44 mark, ECU tied the contest, 37-37, but HU responded with an 11-1 run to close the third, capped off by an old-fashion three-point play from freshman guard Iyanna Warren (Accokeek, Md.), 49-38.
In the fourth, East Carolina sliced the deficit to single digits on multiple occasions, but the Bison took control and held its largest lead of the game with under two minutes remaining, 67-49.
Despite only shooting 40-percent (20-of-50) from the field, the Bison found other ways to score. HU attacked the rim and reached the charity stripe 29 times where they connected on 20 free throws.
Howard also dominated the glass, outrebounding ECU, 39-24, while recording 17 assists.
— HowardWBB (@HowardBison_WBB) December 17, 2019
“Our goal was to limit them to one shot,” Grace stated. “We rebounded from every position, which helped us dominate the glass tonight. Not having Ayonna [Williams] put more pressure on our guards tonight, but Deuce [Iyanna Warren] stepped in and did a great job controlling the tempo and distributing the ball.”
In her first collegiate start, Warren produced a game-high nine dimes while fellow classmate Brooklyn Fort-Davis (Chicago) grabbed a team-leading nine boards.
Second-year guard Gia Thorpe (Pittsburgh) provided the spark off the bench, netting 15 points in the win.
For ECU (3-7), Necole Hope was the lone Pirate in double figures with 13 points.
“I was very pleased by our effort [tonight],” Grace added. “We need to keep that up moving forward and going into conference play.”
— HowardWBB (@HowardBison_WBB) December 17, 2019
HU continues its road swing in Fairfax, Va., when the George Mason Patriots come calling. Tipoff is set for noon on ESPN+.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.
(Story and Photos Courtesy of Howard University Athletics )
