#1 Baylor Hosts Howard Lady Bison in Preseason WNIT

 Watch |  Listen |  Gametracker |  Notes |  Tickets |  Gameday Central

Date	Fri., Nov. 11 | 6:30 p.m. CT
Location	Waco, Texas | Ferrell Center (10,284)
Tickets	Purchase Tickets Online
TV	None
Online Video	Baylor All-Access
Radio	ESPN Central Texas | Listen Online
Live Stats	Gametracker
Gameday Info	Gameday Central
Game Notes	Baylor Notes
Blog	N/A
Twitter	@BaylorWBB

HOWARD LADY BISON
Record	0-0
Ranking	N/A (AP), N/A (Coaches)
Last Game	N/A
Head Coach	Niki Reid-Geckeler
	Career: 41-54 (4th season)
	BU Record: same (4th season)

#1/1 BAYLOR  LADY BEARS
Record	0-0
Ranking	1 (AP), 1 (Coaches)
Last Game	N/A
Head Coach	Kim Mulkey
	Career: 298-79 (12th season)
	BU Record: same (12th season)

The 2011 Preseason WNIT marks the third time Baylor has hosted the event. The Lady Bears were also the tournament hosts in 1998 and 2006. As in previous seasons, as long as Baylor wins, it will continue to host tournament games.

All told, 16 teams are competing in the 2011 Preseason WNIT. Chattanooga, ETSU, Howard, McNeese State, Tennessee Tech, UAB and UCLA are on Baylor's side of the bracket while Akron, Detroit, Drexel, Hartford, Indiana State, Long Island, Manhattan and Notre Dame are on the opposite side of the bracket.

The Lady Bears are 4-2 in Preseason WNIT contests, losing in the second round in 1998 to 20th-ranked Florida (70-58) and to 12th-ranked Purdue (69-55) in the 2006 championship game. Since that loss to Purdue, Baylor has won 47 straight non-league home games (including two NCAA Tournament games in 2011).

SCOUTING THE LADY BISON
Located in Washington, D.C., the Howard Lady Bison open their season in Waco. The Lady Bison finished last season at 16-18 and were runner-up in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament. All five starters return off last season's team.

Junior Saadia Doyle, the 2010-11 MEAC Player of the Year and All-MEAC first team selection, led the MEAC in scoring with 18.4 points and was second in the conference with 8.9 rebounds per game. She was recently named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year.

The Lady Bison are coached by fourth-year head coach Niki Reid Geckeler (Georgetown, 1993). Reid Geckeler is 41-54 (.432) in her four seasons along the Howard sideline.

SERIES RECORD
Baylor leads the series 1-0. The Lady Bears downed Howard in Waco, 83-31, on Nov. 9, 2007, as part of the Baylor-hosted Basketball Travelers Tip-Off Tournament.



COURTESY BAYLOR BEARS ATHLETICS

Howard defeats FAMU in MEAC women's basketball tournament

Howard University Head Coach Niki Reid Geckeler

Zykia Brown scored the go-ahead basket, then came up with a key steal, as Howard edged Florida A&M, 56-54, in the quarterfinals of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournament on Thursday in Winston-Salem, N.C. The fourth-seeded Lady Bison (16-13) will face eighth-seeded South Carolina State at noon Friday. The Lady Bulldogs upset top-seeded North Carolina A&T in the quarterfinals.

Brown, a first-team all-MEAC selection, and Saadia Doyle, the conference rookie of the year, combined for 21 of Howard's 25 first-half points. Brown finished with 20 points, 4 assists and 4 steals, while Doyle recorded her 20th double-double of the season with 15 points and 11 rebounds. "We know that it is a new season when you get into the tournament," said Brown, a junior guard. "We came out focused and ready to play." In each of the two previous matchups between the teams, Howard won by a point. The Lady Rattlers are 18-11.

READ MORE, CLICK TITLE.

READ RELATED ARTICLES:
Hampton beats Norfolk State 73-70 in MEAC tourney
NSU's season, star's career come to an end
FAMU women fall to Howard in MEAC tourney
B-CU in MEAC semis
Winston-Salem ready to return to D-II, CIAA

Howard University Lady Bison: Preview '09

Coaches
Head Coach: Niki Reid Geckeler, 2nd season (Georgetown '93)
Assistant Coach: Jimmy Howard, 2nd season (Greensboro '91)
Assistant Coach: Julie Flanders, 2nd season (George Mason '05)
Assistant Coach: Brian Johnson, 2nd season (Drexel '98)

Players to watch
Zykia Brown, Jr., G, 5-8: Brown, a graduate of Parkdale High School, was the third-leading scorer in the MEAC last season, averaging 17.3 points per game, and was an all-conference second-team selection.

New Recruits
Kara Smith (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young), Cabria Johnson (Washington, D.C./Elizabeth Seton), Jerelle Gorham (Durham, N.C./Hillside), Tomaria Holmes (Durham, N.C./Hillside), Julee O’Neal (Durham, N.C./Hillside), Portia Deterville (Toronto, Canada/Weston) Cheyenne Curley-Payne (Chula Vista, Calif./Eastlake) and Nicole Deterville (Toronto, Canada/Weston).

Kara Smith, a 6-0 forward, averaged 5.2 points and 4.2 rebounds as a senior at Whitney M. Young High School in Chicago, IL. The Dolphins posted a 31-2 record in 2008-09, finished No. 10 in the USA TODAY Super 25 poll and finished in second place in the state 4A championship game, falling to national champion Bolingbrook. Smith was named best team defender for two consecutive year.

Cabria Johnson, 5-11 forward starred at Elizabeth Seton High School in Bladensburg, MD and has been rated a top-25 prospect in the Real Basketball Report (MD/DC/VA/WV Region). Johnson suffering a season-ending injury prior to the start of her senior season.

Jerelle Gorham, 5-8 guard is an All-American in the class room as well as an outstanding athlete. Gorham was ranked sixth in a class of 182 with a grade-point average of 4.4 and lettered in basketball, track and volleyball. Her team finished with a 26-6 mark in 2009.

Tomaria Holmes, 5-6 guard was a 2009 McDonald’s All-American nominee for the Hornets.

Julee O'Neal, 6-2 center/forward was named to the 4A East Regional All-Tournament team. O'Neal, Gorham and Holmes Hillside squad won the 4A state championship in 2008 and a sectional championship in 2009.

Portia Deterville, 6-1 center/forward had career averages of 18 points and 12 rebounds per game at Weston Collegiate Institute. Her team went to the provincial championship semifinals in 2009.

Cheyenne Curley-Payne, 5-5 point guard led the nation with 328 steals as senior at Eastlake High School, breaking the record set by Candice Wiggins. WNBA star. Curley had 1,065 career steals and set new California record during her high school career.

Nicole Deterville, 6-1 center/forward is the second half of the twin-towers with sister Portia. Nicole was co-captain in her final campaign at Weston and helped her team to the City of Toronto ‘Final 4' qualifier. She was invited to the All-Canada Classic for her efforts. A talented athlete, Nicole was a silver medalist in the track program at Weston.

Shooter Zykia Brown will anchor the '09/'10 Howard Lady Bison team.

RETURNING BISON PLAYERS
24 Baulkman, Charae' 6-1 Sr. forward, Newark, N.J. / University H.S.
2 Bradford, India 5-4 So. guard, Washington, D.C. / Archbishop Carroll H.S.
12 Brown, Zykia 5-8 Jr. guard, Riverdale, Md. / Parkdale H.S.
13 Doyle, Saadia 5-11 R-Fr. forward, Atlanta, Ga. / Columbia H.S.
30 Edwards, Amanda 6-0 Jr. forward, Ontario, Canada / Notre Dame Catholic
22 Pullins, Jalisa 5-5 Jr. guard, Decatur, Ga. / Southwest DeKalb H.S.
3 Scharschmidt, DonnaLee 5-6 Jr. guard, Palm Beach, Fla. / Summit Christian

Schedule
NOVEMBER
13, American, 7; 16, at Fairleigh Dickinson, 7; 21, LIU, 2; 25, Jacksonville, 7; 27, at Maryland, 7; 29, at Radford, 3.
DECEMBER
5, Hampton, 2; 12, at George Mason, 2; 19, at Central Michigan, 2; 29, Monmouth, 2*; 30, La Salle/Holy Cross, 2/4*.
JANUARY
5, at Colgate, 7; 9, Morgan State, 2; 11, Coppin State, 6; 16, at North Carolina A&T, 2; 18, at Norfolk State, 6; 23, Florida A&M, 2; 25, Bethune-Cookman, 6; 30, at UMES, 2.
FEBRUARY
1, Delaware State, 5:30; 6, at Winston-Salem State, 2; 8, at South Carolina State, 5:30; 13, North Carolina A&T, 2; 15, Norfolk State, 6; 20, at Florida A&M, 2; 22, at Bethune-Cookman, 5:30; 27, UMES, 2.
MARCH
4, at Hampton, 6; 8-13, MEAC tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C.

* — Hawk Holiday Classic in West Long Branch, N.J.

Norfolk State Lady Spartans scores first MEAC win--over Howard Bison

Photo: Danelle Tate led NSU with 23 points and 14 rebounds in the OT win over the Howard University Lady Bison. The 5-10 freshman forward is from North Stafford H.S., Stafford, VA and is majoring in Business Administration.

NORFOLK, VA - After 40 minutes of basketball and with just six players available, no one could have blamed the Norfolk State women if Howard was the fresher team in overtime Monday night. Instead, the Spartans were quicker to loose balls and played with renewed energy. "We just wanted it real bad and it showed out there," guard Ebony Gibbs said.

Gibbs hit two free throws with 5.5 seconds left to force overtime and NSU took over, rolling to its first MEAC win 94-88 at Echols Hall.

CONTINUE READING THIS STORY BY CLICKING ON BLOG TITLE.