Curley-Payne leads HU Lady Bison to 53-41 win over SSU

COACH G

WASHINGTON, D.C.  --  Nationally ranked assist leader Cheyenne Curley-Payne guided her fellow Howard University Lady Bison to victory on Saturday, Feb. 2 with a 53-41 win over the Savannah State Lady Tigers in Burr Gymnasium.

While senior Saadia Doyle led in points with 16, Curley-Payne distributed a season-high 12 assists, scored 11 points, pulled down a team-high eight rebounds and finished with three steals.

Statistically, HU shot 73 percent from the free-throw line (8-of-11), 32 percent from the field (20-of-62) and 25 percent from the long range (5-of-20).

The Lady Bison opened the contest with two consecutive three pointers to take a 6-0 lead.

SSU brought the lead within one after Jasmine Norman sunk her own three pointer.

Howard quickly suppressed the Lady Tiger's offense on a seven-minute 13-2 run, for a 13-point 20-7 lead at the 9:32 mark.

Savannah State brought the margin to eight points at the 3:57 mark, but for a half high 17-point margin lead. Howard went on a 9-0 run to end the first 20 minutes of action with a score of 33-16.

Following the halftime intermission, the mighty blue and white reached a night high 20-point lead by the 14:54 mark.

SSU broke through the Howard dominance on an 8-0 run.

Nonetheless, SSU efforts were futile, as Howard maintained its double-figure lead to the final buzzer and secured a 53-41 victory.

HU continues the four-game Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference home stint with South Carolina State University on Monday, Feb. 4 at 5:30 p.m. in Burr Gymnasium on the Howard University campus.
The Lady Bulldogs are 12-6 overall, 4-2 in the MEAC and 5-4 on the road.

Howard advances to 12-8 overall, 6-2 in the conference and 6-1 in Burr Gymnasium.

For more information on Howard Women's Basketball, visit the official athletics website at www.howard-bison.com.

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By Ariel V. Germain, Assistant Sports Information Director
HOWARD UNIVERSITY