Women's Basketball

Howard Remains Winless After Second Half Collapse

Washington, DC-January 3-Howard went scoreless for five minutes during a key stretch in the second and allowed Hampton to reel off a 15-0 run as the Lady Bison remain winless after a 78-66 loss to the Lady Pirates in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's game at Burr Gymnasium.

            Howard (0-12 overall, 0-2 in the MEAC) appeared in good shape when it opened the second half with a 6-2 run that gave Howard a 43-39 lead at the 18:42 mark.  But then the Lady Pirates (5-6 overall, 1-1 in the MEAC) outscored the Lady Bison, 15-0 during a five-minute stretch that all but decided the outcome.

            Most of Hampton's success came off its decided height advantage up front and some close-in baskets that resulted in 50 percent (14 of 28) shooting from the field in the second half.  For the game, the Lady Pirates maintained a whopping 59-41 advantage on the boards.

            Howard was able to stay close early as senior forward Melloni Benson scored 14 first half points in a 37-37 halftime tie.

            But Benson managed only 4 second half points as the Lady Bison missed 29 second half shots, many coming from close range.  Moreover, Howard, which is shooting close to 70 percent from the free throw line on the season, uncharacteristically missed 13 attempts.

            The Lady Bison got 17 points from junior guard Shannon Carlisle and 11 from senior forward Courtney Smiley.

            Hampton was paced by Ashlee Finley with 14 points and 12 rebounds and Artavia Burns and Chinyere Ukoh, who each scored 13.

NEXT UP:  Howard travels to Orangeburg, SC to take on the Lady Bulldogs of South Carolina State on Saturday at 4 pm while Hampton travels to Princess Anne, MD to take on the Lady Hawks of Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday.

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