Howard Women’s Basketball Historic Run Ends Against No. 1 South Carolina
COLUMBIA, S.C. (March 18, 2022) – Howard University women’s basketball team saw its historic run come to an end, falling to No. 1 South Carolina (USC), 79-21, in the NCAA First Round, held on the campus of USC. With the loss, HU finished the season 21-10 overall while returning to the Big Dance for the first time in 21 years (2001).
Congratulations to @dawnstaley and her @GamecockWBB team on a great game 🤝 good luck the rest of the tournament✊🏾
— HowardWBB (@Howard_WBB) March 18, 2022
“I want to congratulate the University of South Carolina and Coach Dawn Staley,” said Howard women’s basketball head coach Ty Grace postgame. “They did a phenomenal job. Obviously, I wish it was a different outcome, but they did a phenomenal job.”
Howard was unable to find its rhythm, shooting a season-low 15-percent (8-of-54).HU kept South Carolina from getting inside early on, forcing the Gamecocks to shot outside. The Bison were held to just 4 points in the First half which is an NCAA record for the least amount of points scored in a tournament half.
“Our coaches gave us the gameplan and we truly locked in on the defensive end,” said junior point guard Iyanna Warren (Accokeek, Md.). “They’re a much bigger team, so our coaches told us to pack the paint and we did that in the first quarter.”
USC made the adjustments throughout and began to dominate the glass, outrebounding the Bison, 69-28. Warren finished her junior campaign with eight points to lead the Bison.
In the Bison’s sixth NCAA appearance, the program earned its first-ever NCAA Tournament win over Incarnate Word Wednesday (March 16), 55-51.
Women Support Women 🖤#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/4mCAK8Tyrv
— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessWBB) March 18, 2022
“I want to thank everyone that supported us,” Grace added. “I’m really proud of our team. We made history and now we move on.”
Howard registered its fourth consecutive winning season and first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament title since 2001. HU returns the bulk of its core pieces, including guards Warren and Destiny Howell (Queens, N.Y.) and forward Anzhane’ Hutton (Dallas).
About Howard Athletics
The Howard University Department of Intercollegiate Athletics sponsors 21 NCAA Division I men and women varsity sports. The programs represent five conferences: The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), Northeast Conference (NEC), Sun Belt Conference (SBC), Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) and Atlantic Sun (ASUN) Conference.
For more information, visit the Bison Athletics website at www.HUBison.com.