Courtesy of Ed Hill, Jr.,retired Howard University Sports Information Director
66
Winner HOW
64
UC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HOW | 18 | 18 | 18 | 12 | 66 |
| UC | 15 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 64 |
Junior forward Sa’lah Hemingway (San Bernardino, Calif.) scored on a layup with 3.3 seconds remaining to give the Howard University women’s basketball team a hard-fought 66-64 win over Cincinnati at the Fifth Third Arena.
It marked only the fifth time in school history that the Bison have defeated a Power 4 opponent: North Carolina State; Maryland; Minnesota and Rutgers.
The game was a battle throughout.
The Bison, who have played opponents from the Big East, Big Ten and the ACC this season, were not intimidated at the prospect of playing their opponent from the Big 12.
Howard (9-5) led, 18-15, at the end of the first quarter and held a 36-32 at the half.
Cincinnati (5-7) was able to do just enough to tie the score,54-54, at the end of three quarters of play.
Then, it turned into a back-and-forth affair with neither team able to take control.
Howard was able to manufacture a 64-61 advantage with 22 seconds left on the clock when Hemingway converted on one-of-two free throws. But Cincinnati got a huge three pointer from Reagan Jackson with just 14 ticks to tie the score, 64-64, that set up the game winner.
Freshman guard Ariella Henigan (Chicago) found Hemingway with a nifty pass as she scored on a layup with 3.3 seconds remaining to up the score, 66-64.
The Bearcats called a timeout and inbounded the ball at their end of the floor. With Howard senior forward Nile Miller (Woodbury, N.J.) using her length and octopus like defensive presence, Cincinnati was not able to get a good look and the clock ran out following a desperation shot that failed to make it to the rim.
“This was a team victory,” said an excited Hemingway postgame. “We pride ourselves on defense and that was the difference, along with a collective effort on offense.”
Hemingway’s point is well taken: four Bison finished in double figures.
Redshirt junior guard Zoe Stewart (Terre Haute, Ind.), who has come on strong of late after transferring in from Missouri State, led her team with 18 points.
When Miller was not creating havoc on the defensive end, the 6-foot-2 senior chipped in with 14 points, seven above her season average, on 6-of-8 shooting from the floor, along with eight rebounds.
Senior forward Zennia Thomas (Cleveland), the leading candidate for MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) Player of the Year, did not have her usual offensive impact (she averages almost 16 points per game), but she managed another double-double (10 points & 10 rebounds) and three assists despite double teams.
Henigan had perhaps her best all-around game as a freshman with 10 points, a career-high five assists and zero turnovers.
Hemingway doubled her season average with seven points, but none was as big as the game winner.
“Getting open for that shot was just a matter of how we play team basketball,” noted Hemingway. “Like I said, this was a team victory.”
The Bison had a season-best 14 assists on 25 baskets and scored 30 of their points in the paint.
Cincinnati was led Mya Perry, who led all scorers with 19 points, and Joya Campbell contributed 11 points in a losing cause.
NEXT UP: Howard hosts St. Bonaventure Saturday (Dec. 20) at 2 p.m., inside Burr Gymnasium.
