Doyle's Career-High 38 Leads Lady Bison Over Norfolk State

NORFOLK, VA – Saadia Doyle led all scorers with a career-high of 38 points en-route to a 66-49 rout over Norfolk State (8-14, 1-11) on Mon. Feb. 14. Doyle also pulled down a game-best 10 off the glass and went 17-for-20 from the charity stripe. The sophomore is now 47 points away from 1,000. With the win, the Lady Bison improve to 7-5 in conference play.

HU (11-15, 7-5 MEAC) started the game with seven unanswered points – capped by an Adele Walton three-pointer. The Lady Bison pushed the advantage to double-digits, 13-2, with a pair from the line by Doyle at the 13:10 mark. Howard kept its double-digit lead throughout the half and went into intermission with a comfortable 21-point cushion, 33-12.

In the first 20 minutes, Howard held the Spartans to just 20 percent shooting (5-for-24) while going 12-for-22 from the field for a 54 percent clip.

In the second period, the Spartans rattled off nine straight to make it 35-22 at the 14:25 mark. The Lady Bison ended the run with a jumper by Holmes. Howard led by as many as 18 (51-33) midway through the half, but Norfolk used a 10-4 run to cut it to 55-43 at the 7:25 mark. The Spartans would not get any closer, however.

For the game, the Lady Bison shot 43.5 from the field (20-for-46) and converted 22 Spartan turnovers into 29 points. Prior to today’s matchup, Norfolk lead the meac in field-goal percentage, shooting 40 percent on the season. However, The Lady Bison held the Spartans to 28.8 percent from the floor. Howard also edged NSU on the glass 37-33 – including 27 defensive rebounds.

Tamoria Holmes was the only other HU player to finish in double-digits with 11 points and five rebounds. Kara Smith chipped in with seven points, four boards, and four assists.

For Norfolk State, Sarah Daily was the only player to finish in double figures with 10 points. Whitney Long tallied nine nine points behind 3-of-6 shooting from behind the arc.

Howard is back in action on Sat. Feb. 19 when it hosts Florida A&M for its annual Pink Zone initiative. The game is slated for 2 p.m.

By Jamilah Corbitt, Assistant Director of Sports Information
Howard University

NSU women have already tied last season's win total

Debra Clark is resurrecting the Lady Spartans at Norfolk State

If the early bird really does get the worm, Norfolk State's women's basketball team might eat its way out of its losing ways this season.

The Spartans have been in a decade-long decline that reached its bottom the past three seasons, which produced a combined two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference victories. Included in the stretch was an 0-16 record in the MEAC last season and a 4-23 overall mark. That came on the heels of a 1-27 record in 2008-09.

But as the Spartans head for their MEAC opener at North Carolina A&T today, they feel the tide has actually turned. Norfolk State is off to a 4-1 start this season.

"It seems every time I turn around, someone's asking, 'Hey, what's going on? You guys are winning this season,' " said sophomore point guard Recca Trice. "What's going on is we have some pride and ambition."