Women's Basketball

Complete Game Notes

Game 8
Brown (0-7) vs. Howard (0-7)

Game 9
Howard vs. Manhattan (3-2)/Saint Joseph's (3-2)
Brown Bear Basketball Classic

Date: Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 1-2
Place: Pizzitola Sports Center, Providence, R.I.

The Games

The Howard women's basketball team opens up play at the Brown Bear Basketball Classic with a contest against the host Bears. The young Bison, featuring seven freshmen, look to get started on the right foot before facing off with Manhattan or Saint Joseph's on day two of the tournament.

The Lady Bison fell 89-79 to Bucknell in its last time out. Seniors Shannon Carlisle and Asha Santee paced Howard with 25 and 24 points, respectively, while freshman Zykia Brown added 12 points off the bench. Bucknell had five players score in double figures and were led by three with 17 points.

Brown fell to Army, 63-50 in its last decision on Nov. 28. Annesley O'Neal was the only Bear to score in double figures and finished with 13 points.

Manhattan downed Stony Brook, 74-68 in its last contest while Saint Joseph's fell to #6 Rutgers, 56-50 in its last time out.                            

Howard
Probable Starters

Scouting Brown
Brown is 0-7 with losses to Providence, Quinnipiac, Vermont, NC State, Rhode Island, American and Army. Shae Fitzpatrick is averaging a team-high 8.7 points per game while Sadiea Williams is averaging 7.6 points per game for the Bears. Annesley O'Neal is tops on the team with 5.4 rebounds and 1.9 assists per game. 

Brown is coached by Jean Marie Burr, who is in her 20^th season with the Bears.

Scouting Manhattan/St. Joseph's
The Jaspers (3-2) are paced by Caitlin Flood's 15.6 points per game. Aubrie Dellinger and Gabrielle Cottrell add 14.2 and 12.6 ppg each while Flood is pulling down a team-high 6.8 rebounds per game. Manhattan is coached by Wanda Watkins, who is in her fourth season with the Jaspers.

The Hawks are 3-2 and are led by Timisha Gomez (12.6 ppg) and Sarah Acker (11.6 ppg). Saint Joseph's is coached by Cindy Griffin, who is 111-78 in five years at St. Joe's and 159-111 in nine years as a head coach.

Pounding Pavement
Howard opens up its regular season with nine consecutive games on the road. The Lady Bison kicks off its season when they travel south to face perennial powerhouse Baylor in the Basketball Travelers Classic, hosted by the Bears, on November 9-11. Howard will take on Baylor on November 9, Prairie View A&M on November 10 and St. Mary's (CA) on November 11 during the three-day tournament.

HU is on the road again at Navy on Nov. 14 and takes on Longwood and Campbell at the Longwood Tournament on November 16-17. The Bison takes on non-conference foe Bucknell on November 19 before heading to Providence for the Brown Bear Basketball Classic on December 1-2.

Bison Picked Eighth in the MEAC
The Howard University women's basketball team has been picked to finish eighth in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's annual preseason poll, as voted on by the League's Head Coaches and Sports Information Directors. The announcement was made on October 10 in Raleigh, N.C. as part of the 2007-08 Tip-Off Media Luncheon. Howard received 214 points in the preseason poll. Coppin State was picked first as the Lady Eagles garnered 12 first-place votes with 442 points. CSU was followed by Delaware State (437, nine first-place votes) while North Carolina A&T (356 points) rounds out the top three.

Starters, Seniors Leading the Way
Howard's starters have been a strong point early on and if head coach Cathy Parson can get strong production from her reserves, it will keep the starters' legs fresh as the season wears on.

So far this year, the starters have scored 291 points and account for 73% of the offense, while the senior class has scored 253 points (64% of the offense).

Santee Named to BTI All-Tournament Team
Asha Santee was named to the Basketball Travelers All-Tournament team on Nov. 11 following a strong weekend at the Baylor hosted tournament. Santee had a team-high 10 points versus the Bears and finished with 19 against Prairie View A&M.

Bison Outscored at the Stripe
A problem Howard has had this year is getting to the free-throw line. The Bison have committed 178 fouls already this year (compared to 133 by opponents), resulting in 222 free throw attempts for Howard's opponents. Opponents are currently 154-22 (.694) from the stripe. Meanwhile, Howard has been to the line just 120 times, converting 72 of them (.600).

Women of Steal
Shannon Carlisle (4.86 spg), Reyna Gross (2.43 spg) and Asha Santee (2.00 spg) are all ranked in the top of the MEAC in steals per game. Carlisle leads the conference while Gross and Santee are 10^th and 13^th, respectively.