December 30, 2012

Written by Ariel V. Germain, Assistant Sports Information Director

Game Notes: Howard at No. 24 Ohio State

WASHINGTON, D.C. (www.howard-bison.com) – December 29 – In the midst of holiday merriment, the Howard University women's basketball team travels to Columbus, Ohio to take on No. 24 Ohio State on Sunday, Dec. 30 at 2:00 p.m. at the Value City Arena.

HU is currently 5-5 overall, 1-0 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference play, 3-0 at home and 2-5 on the road.

The Lady Bison take on its second national ranked opponent of the season after a triumphant 55-51 victory over Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif.

HU senior Saadia Doyle notched her fourth double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds, while fellow classmate and California native Cheyenne Curley-Payne gathered 11 points and season-high six rebounds and senior Nicole Deterville tallied a career-high five blocks.

Statistically, the Lady Bison shot 27 percent from the field, 17 percent from the long-range and 78 percent from the charity stripe (season-best team outing from the free- throw line).

Lady Bison Bites

• Niki Reid Geckeler is in her fourth season as head coach

• Finished second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

• Fell 59-56 OT to Virginia during the WNIT in 2012

• Howard concludes its three-game road stint with its second contest of the series against Pepperdine

• The Lady Bison take on its second national ranked opponent of the season after a triumphant 55-51 victory over Pepperdine in Malibu, Calif.

• Saadia Doyle notched her fourth double-double of the season with 25 points and 10 rebounds

• Cheyenne Curley-Payne gathered 11 points and season-high six rebounds

• Doyle finished with 15, Curley-Payne tallied 14 and Smith netted 12 points, as

• By the numbers, the Lady Bison shot 27 percent from the field, 17 percent from the long-range and 78 percent from the charity stripe (season-best team outing from the free- throw line)

• On the season, the Lady Bison average 56.4 points per game, 34 percent from the field, 31 percent from the long range, and 63 percent from the free-throw line

Probable Starters

No.	Name	Ht.	Yr.	Pos.	MPG	PPG
5	Cheyenne Curley-Payne	5-8	Sr.	G	35.8	10.2
10	Jerrelle Gorham	5-8	R-Jr.	G	30.2	6.5
13	Saadia Doyle	5-10	Sr.	G	35.2	22.3
32	Nicole Deterville	6-0	Sr.	F	23.0	1.8
44	Kara Smith	6-0	Sr.	F	34.2	9.6

Primary Reserves

No.	Name	Ht.	Yr.	Pos.	MPG	PPG
14	Cabria Johnson	6-0	R-Jr.	F	10.1	2.3
24	Imani Bailey	5-9	Fr.	G	15.0	3.2
34	Portia Deterville	6-0	Sr.	F	13.5	0.4

Scouting No. 24 Ohio State

• Jim Foster is in his 34th season at Ohio State

• The Buckeyes are members of the Big Ten Conference

• OSU is 9-3 on the season and 8-0 at home and 1-2 on the road, and going for the 31^st consecutive home win

• Ohio State gathered its third consecutive win on Thursday, Dec. 27 with an 88-50 victory over Virginia Commonwealth

• Tyler Hill reached as team high 20 points, Aleksandra Dobranic followed with 14 points, while Darryce Moore pulled down eight rebounds

• The Buckeyes average 71.8 ppg., while going 49 percent from the field, 38 percent from three-point range and 71 percent from the free-throw line

Seeing Double

Lady Bison standout begun her double-double performances, on the season Doyle has:

• 21 points and 10 rebounds (DePaul)

• 12 points and 11 rebounds (Northwestern)

• 24 points and 10 rebounds (Delaware State)

• 25 points and 10 rebounds (Pepperdine)

Consecutive Honors for Doyle

Saadia Doyle was name Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.  The honor was announced on Thursday, Nov. 1.

What Have You Heard about the Herd

Along with Doyle's accolades, the Lady Bison were predicted to finish first in the MEAC this 2012-13 season.

Major News

Among 340 mid-major Division I institutions in the country, the Lady Bison ranked 12th above Richmond (Atlantic 10), Harvard (Ivy) and Central Michigan (Mid-American) on the preseason list. 

For more information on Lady Bison Basketball or for up-to-date scores and statistics, visit the official website of Howard Athletics at www.howard-bison.com.

-HU-