Howard Dominates SCSU in a 23 point Victory

ORANGEBURG, South Carolina  --  Four players finished in double figures to lead the Howard Women’s basketball team (15-7 overall, 7-2 MEAC) to a 23 point victory (69-46) over the South Carolina State on Jan 30.

With the absence of Tamoria Holmes, HU was led by the leadership of Cheyenne Curley-Payne who finished with a game-high 20 points, shooting 7-9 from the field, while dishing out seven assists and collecting three swipes. Saadia Doyle dominated in the paint, recording her 10th double-double of the season with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Kara Smith tallied a season high 14 points, shooting 6-7 from the field, and pulled down four off the glass. Zykia Brown chipped in with 10 points while Nicole Deterville pitched in with eight boards.

SCSU opened up the first half with a bucket inside the lane by Tracey Flowers. HU responded with a tip-in by Curley-Payne to tie the score at 2-2 at the 18:31 mark.

From there, Howard went on an 8-0 run to capture its first lead of the match (10-2) by the 15:26 mark. The Bulldogs ended the run with a jumper by Cabriel Duren, however.

SCSU climbed its way back into the match to knot the score at 13-13 at 10:04.

Intensity began to pick up as both teams went toe-to-toe to try and capture the lead. HU held on until the Bulldogs took their second lead of the half with a trey from downtown at the 1:33 mark to make it 26-25.
HU’s Smith quickly responded with a layup to put the Bulldog’s on their heels going into halftime break. The Bison ran into the locker room with a one-point lead over SCSU, 27-26.

To jump into the last 20 minutes of the ball game, Doyle hit a jumper from inside the paint to spread HU’s lead to 29-26. The Bulldogs held on and scored a basket to put them down by one, 29-28.

By the 17:51 mark, the score was tied at 31-31.

From there, HU went on a 21-0 spurt over a 7:48 stretch to break the game open at 52-31. Curley-Payne accounted for 12 of the points during the run and assisted on two baskets.

SCSU ended the run with a three-pointer by Lauren Johnson with 9:51 left in the game.

The Bulldogs tried to decrease the margin, but could not manage to recover from the deficit. There was no coming back for SCSU, as Howard ran away with their second consecutive win on the road.

HU outscored the Bulldogs 42-20 in the second half.

The Bulldogs were led by Tracey Flowers who tallied 11 points and six rebounds in 34 minutes of action. Tiara Knotts contributed nine points.

Howard will travel to Maryland Eastern-Shore in Princess Anne, Md. on Feb 4. The game is slated for 6 p.m.

Follow Coach G's fan page on facebook to get a behind the scenes look at the team as they make their push toward the Big Dance. http://www.facebook.com/NikiGeckeler.

Box Score

Written by Julee O'Neal, W. Basketball, Broadcast Journalism '13

Jamilah Corbitt, Asst. Director of Sports Information
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