The Lady Bison Basketball Team Looks For Win In Battle Of The "HU"

The Howard University women's basketball team is having a good season so far and is only looking to finish with a Mid Eastern Atlantic Conference (MEAC) championship win. Last year, the Lady Bison lost in the conference championship game against the Hampton Pirates and are looking to claim the title this year.

The Lady Bison have played a strong schedule to date, with early games against national powers such as the Baylor Bears and Ohio State Buckeyes which are both top 25 teams.

"We just play comfortable," said Tamoria Holmes, junior lady bison guard. "We win at home so we should just come in and execute and play our game."

The Lady Bison are now sitting at 13-6 overall record with a 5-1 in conference, which places them second in the conference behind the undefeated Hampton Pirates and Florida A & M Rattlers.

The Lady Bison had a nine game winning streak this season that started on Dec. 3 against Coppin State. In that streak, the Lady Bison defeated big opponents including the Wake Forest Demon Deacons in overtime.

"It was probably bigger for coach Geckeler but I just wanted the bragging rights," Holmes said about the big matchup. "It was a big win for athletics, also being that it hasn't happened in a few years."

The Lady Bison are led by red-shirt junior forward, Saadia Doyle, averaging 17.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Doyle was named MEAC Preseason Player of The Year and has since been named MEAC Player of the Week twice. Doyle is also ranked 21 in the nation for the number of double-doubles.

The Lady Bison are led in scoring by Holmes, averaging 18.7 points per game. This team's defense is where they excel-- ranking second in the MEAC in scoring defense giving up 55.3 points per game.

The Lady Bison play as a team and have players on the offensive and defensive end that have helped this team win as many games as they have. Junior, Cheyenne Curley-Payne, is averaging 3.2 steals per game, which adds to their +6.37 turnover margin per game. This Lady Bison team is in the position to finish the season better than last year and show that they have gained a sense of unity.

"I think we're making adjustments from the previous season and we're gelling," Holmes said. "As for me, I‘ve gotten that confidence where I think I can be more of a leader when it comes to being on the floor."

Conference officials are calling their game against the Hampton Pirates, which will take place later this evening, the "game of the year in MEAC women's basketball".

"We don't want to look at this game as a need win, like if we don't win this, we're not the team that we thought we were," Holmes said, "We're just going to come out and play like we know we can play and execute like we normally do and play our game."

Tip-off is at 7 p.m. in Burr Gymnasium.

"The only thing that's in our way is Hampton," Holmes said. "We just need to get them out the way and we'll be fine."