February 16, 2013

Written by Ariel V. Germain, Assistant Sports Information Director

Game Notes: Howard at Florida A&M

2012-13 Information Guide

WASHINGTON, D.C. (www.howard-bison.com) – February 15 – For the last two-game road trip of the season, the Howard University women's basketball team takes on Florida A&M on Saturday, Feb. 16 in Tallahassee, Fla., at 4:00 p.m. at the Al Lawson Center.

The Lady Bison take on the Lady Rattlers after going 3-1 during a four-game home stand in the beginning of February.

Howard concluded the home event with a 68-33 victory over Morgan State on Monday, Feb. 11 in Burr Gymnasium.  In the 35-point win, Howard reached its highest margin-lead win at home and against a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponent. 

Blue and white senior Saadia Doyle regained her title as team-scoring leader with a team-best 21 points, while fellow classmate Kara Smith tallied 15 points and nationally ranked student-athlete senior Cheyenne Curley-Payne finished with 10 points.  Doyle also led in rebounds, by pulling down nine rebounds, as Curley-Payne led in assists (8) and steals (3).

In the victory, Howard shot 37 percent from the field (19-51), 36 percent from the three-point arch (5-14) and 76 percent from the charity stripe (25-33). 

Howard is 14-9 on the season, 8-3 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, 6-7 on the road and 8-2 at home.

Lady Bison Bites

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

• Finished second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (2011-12)

• Saadia Doyle is 15^th in the country in scoring with 20.7 points per game and 74^th in rebounding with 9.1 pg.

• Cheyenne Curley-Payne is 20^th in the country in assists with 6.1 per game and 60^th in steals with 2.65 pg.

• Saadia Doyle leads the MEAC in Player of the Week honors and scoring

• This is the first and only regular-season meeting with Florida A&M

• Howard has defeated MEAC foes: Delaware State (54-40), Coppin State (67-54), Norfolk State (56-45), N.C. A&T (44-42), NCCU (56-30), Savannah State (53-41), UMES (59-30), and Morgan State (68-33)

• HU defeated Morgan State on Monday, Feb. 11 in Burr Gymnasium

• Saadia Doyle regained her title as team-scoring leader with a team-best 21 points, while leading rebounds with nine rebounds

• Kara Smith tallied 15 points and nationally ranked student-athlete senior Cheyenne Curley-Payne finished with 10 points

• Curley-Payne led in assists (8) and steals (3)

• On the season, the Lady Bison average 54.9 points per game, 35 percent from the field, 29 percent from the long range, and 65 percent from the free-throw line 

Probable Starters

No.	Name	Ht.	Yr.	Pos.	MPG	PPG
5	Cheyenne Curley-Payne	5-8	Sr.	G	36.3	8.6
10	Jerrelle Gorham	5-8	R-Jr.	G	27.8	4.9
13	Saadia Doyle	5-10	Sr.	G	34.7	20.7
32	Nicole Deterville	6-0	Sr.	F	21.7	2.1
44	Kara Smith	6-0	Sr.	F	33.5	9.4

Primary Reserves

No.	Name	Ht.	Yr.	Pos.	MPG	PPG
24	Imani Bailey	5-9	Fr.	G	16.5	3.8
34	Portia Deterville	6-0	Sr.	F	8.5	0.3
22	Victoria Gonzalez	6-0	Fr.	F	10.8	2.9

Scouting Florida A&M

• LeDawn Gibson is the head women's basketball coach at Florida A&M

• The Lady Rattlers are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

• FAMU is currently 9-14 overall, 6-4 in the MEAC, 3-6 at home, and 4-7 on the road

• In head-to-head action with North Carolina A&T, FAMU fell 69-50

• Jasmine Grice led the team with 18 points, as Jamie Forman pulled down a team-high seven rebounds

• The Lady Rattlers shot 36 percent from the field, 26 percent from the three-point range and 86 percent from the free-throw line

Seeing Double

Saadia Doyle's double-double performances:

• 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)

• 26 points and 15 rebounds (Coppin State)

• 19 points and 13 rebounds (North Carolina A&T)

• 27 points and 10 rebounds (New Jersey Institute of Technology)

• 10 points and 10 rebounds (Hampton) 

Consecutive Honors for Doyle

Saadia Doyle was named 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-