Women's Basketball

Complete Game Notes

Game 17
Howard (7-9, 3-2 MEAC) vs. Florida A&M (10-5, 3-2 MEAC)

Date: Saturday, January 23
Place: Burr Gymnasium, Washington, D.C.
Series: Howard leads 16-13
Live Stats: http://howard.hbculivestats.com/wbball/xlive.htm

The Game
Howard enters Saturday's contest with a 7-9 (3-2 MEAC) mark. The Lady Bison took down Norfolk State 55-46 on Jan. 18 while Florida A&M (10-5, 3-2 MEAC) defeated Delaware State 88-62 in its last time out on Monday.

Junior Zykia Brown had a game-high 25 points and inked her 1,000^th point in the win over the Spartans while Saadia Doyle chipped in 11 points. Cheyenne Curley-Payne added in seven points off the bench.

Antonia Bennett paced FAMU with 18 points in the win over DSU. Tameka McKelton added 16 points while Danielle Anderson (12) and Qiana Donald (11) led the team in rebounding.

Scouting Florida A&M
Florida A&M is 10-5 (3-2 MEAC) with non-conference wins over South Florida (Big East), Florida (SEC) and Alabama (SEC). Tameka McKelton is averaging 12.7 points per game while Antonia Bennett (11.7 ppg), Christian Rateree (11.5 ppg) and Deidra Jones (10.0 ppg) round out the scoring for the Rattlers. Donald is tops on the team with 10.9 rebounds per game.

The Aggies are coached by LeDawn Gibson, who is in her 2^nd season at FAMU. She has a 14-17 record in one year as a head coach.

Last Time Out
Zykia Brown had a game-high 25 points for the Lady Bison (7-9, 3-2 MEAC) and broke the 1,000-point mark in her 76th game as Howard defeated Norfolk State (NSU) 55-46 Monday evening.

The Bison raced to a 6-0 lead and the margin swelled to 29-14 with 4:25 left in the first half. By halftime, Howard led 29-18 and NSU (2-11, 0-5 MEAC) never got closer than six points again.

"We were struggling shooting a little bit but you have to give credit to Norfolk tonight," Bison coach Niki Reid Geckeler said. "I thought they were very aggressive and got us back on our heels and uncomfortable."

Brown's 1,000th point came on a 3-pointer with 12:12 left in the first half. The junior guard did not realize she had broken the mark until after the game. "I really didn't know I was close until yesterday," Brown said. "My main focus was to get us off to a good start and we did that."

She was just the 16th player in women's basketball history to accomplish that feat.

Saadia Doyle, who entered the game as the second leading scorer and top rebounder for Howard, was limited to 11 points and four boards before fouling out.

Cheyenne Curley-Payne added seven points, a career-high five steals, three assists and three rebounds. Portia Deterville added her second eight rebound performance in as many games and Kara Smith chipped in six points, three rebounds and two assists.

Freshman Sensation
Freshman Saadia Doyle (5-11, F) has posted double-doubles in 10 of 16 games this season, a feat that puts her 4th in the NCAA rankings at press time. The Atlanta, Ga. native is averaging 16.1 points and 11.3 rebounds per outing and was named the MEAC Rookie of the Week three times this season. A warrior on the boards, her rebounds per game total ranks 4^th highest in the NCAA. Her 22 rebounds vs. Coppin State is the fifth highest total in the NCAA this season.

Twin Towers
Freshmen Nicole Deterville (6-1, F/C) and Portia Deterville (6-1, F/C) are the first set of twins to play under the Coach G era. Nicole and Portia join teammate Amanda Edwards (6-0, F) from Toronto, Canada and are mainstays in the Bison frontcourt. 

Up Next
The Lady Bison host Bethune-Cookman on Monday, Jan. 25. Game time against the Lady Wildcats is slated for 6 p.m. at Burr Gymnasium.