Brown, Doyle, Holmes Combine To Lead Howard To First Win
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Zykia Brown scored 12 of her game-high 16 points in the second half and Tamoria Holmes came off the bench to add 8 of her 14 points to help Howard University pull away to a 58-42 win over Jacksonville in a non-conference women's game at Burr Gymnasium. The win was the first of the season for the Lady Bison (1-3) while the Dolphins fell to 1-4.
Howard trailed 20-19 at the half, mainly due to some poor shooting by both teams, who combined to miss 52 shots.
But Howard found its rhythm during the first six minutes of the second half when it reeled off a 17-7 run that opened a 36-27 lead. The rally was fueled some tough defense and some easy transition baskets by Brown and Holmes.
"Most teams in the country are struggling to find offensive rhythm during the early part of the season, so we have been trying to emphasize defense," said Howard second year head Coach Niki Reid Geckeler. "In the second half, we ran our press more effectively and moved into a 2-3 zone. It helped change the tempo."
Howard was able to maintain a double-digit lead for most the second half. But there was a point when Brown went to the bench with foul trouble and the Lady Bison appeared to be rattled momentarily with their leader on the bench.
But freshmen Saadia Doyle and Kara Smith picked up the slack and were able to contribute until Brown returned to the court.
"We were a little concerned when Ziggy (Brown) came to the bench," said Coach Reid Geckeler. "But this is a close knit group and they came together in her absence."
She continued, "Saadia helped us on the defensive end and she can score one-on-one against almost anyone. Holmes brings speed to our team that we have not have. She is probably one of the fastest guards in our conference. And Smith is a big time rebounder who is going to get nothing but better."
Brown, who made six of nine from the field in the second half, added eight rebounds, three assists and four steals in 33 minutes. Doyle had 12 points and 10 rebounds for her third double-double in four games. Holmes connected on three of five shots in the last 20 minutes and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line in 24 minutes.
Dolphins were led by Courtney Jackson's 11 points and Lynsey Paschal, who added 10.
NEXT UP: Howard travels to College Park, MD to take on nationally ranked Maryland on Friday, November 27 in a 7 pm tipoff.