HOWARD LADY BISON HOOPS: HOWARD V. COPPIN STATE
Written by Ariel V. Germain, Assistant Sports Information Director
WASHINGTON, D.C. (www.howard-bison.com) – February 22 – After a successful two-game venture in Florida, the Howard University women's basketball team returns to Burr Gymnasium to host Coppin State University on Saturday, Feb. 23 at 2:00 p.m. in Washington, D.C.
Howard and Coppin State met earlier this season on Monday, Jan. 7 in Baltimore, Md. For a successful 67-54 win, Saadia Doyle tallied a double-double with 26 points and 15 rebounds, as Kara Smith scored 18 points and Victoria Gonzalez notched 11 points. Cheyenne Curley-Payne attained a season-best 14 assists.
HU shot a season-best 92 percent from the charity stripe, 50 percent from three-point range and 45 percent from the field.
With a record of 16-9 overall, 10-3 in the conference, 8-2 at home and 8-7 on the road, Howard returns to Washington, D.C. after defeating Florida A&M 58-57 (Saturday, Feb. 16) and Bethune-Cookman 61-27 (Monday, Feb. 18).
During the Lady Bison's victory over B-CU, Doyle became the all-time leading scorer in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Howard University.
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 15th in the country in scoring with 20.7 points per game and 74th in rebounding with 9.1 pg.
• Cheyenne Curley-Payne is 20th in the country in assists with 6.1 per game and 60th in steals with 2.65 pg.
• Among the 343 schools in the country, HU has the seventh strongest defensive regime
• Saadia Doyle is now the all-time leading scorer in the MEAC and Howard
• This is the second meeting between HU and CSU
• 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), Morgan State (68-33), FAMU (58-57), and Bethune-Cookman (61-27)
• HU defeated B-CU 61-27 on Monday, Feb. 18 in Daytona Beach, Fla.
• Saadia Doyle finished with 22 points and seven rebounds
• Kara Smith tallied seven rebounds, while Cheyenne Curley-Payne notched seven assists
• On the season, the Lady Bison average 55.3 points per game, 35 percent from the field, 29 percent from the long range, and 66 percent from the free-throw line
Probable Starters
|
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
Pos. |
MPG |
PPG |
|
5 |
Cheyenne Curley-Payne |
5-8 |
Sr. |
G |
35.9 |
8.6 |
|
10 |
5-8 |
R-Jr. |
G |
27.5 |
4.9 |
|
|
13 |
Saadia Doyle |
5-10 |
Sr. |
G |
34.5 |
22.2 |
|
32 |
6-0 |
Sr. |
F |
22.3 |
2.6 |
|
|
44 |
Kara Smith |
6-0 |
Sr. |
F |
33.4 |
9.8 |
Primary Reserves
|
No. |
Name |
Ht. |
Yr. |
Pos. |
MPG |
PPG |
|
24 |
5-9 |
Fr. |
G |
16.0 |
3.5 |
|
|
34 |
6-0 |
Sr. |
F |
8.3 |
0.3 |
|
|
22 |
Victoria Gonzalez |
6-0 |
Fr. |
F |
10.4 |
2.6 |
Scouting Coppin State
• Derek Brown is the head women's basketball coach at Coppin State
• The Lady Eagles are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference
• CSU is currently 11-15 overall, 7-6 in the MEAC, 7-4 at home, and 4-11 on the road
• In head-to-head action with Maryland Eastern Shore, CSU defeated UMES 55-50
• Leola Spotwood led with 18 points, while Larrisa Carter followed with 14 points
• The Lady Eagles are 35 percent from the field, 30 percent from the three-point range and 62 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-