NORFOLK, VA – The last time Howard University women’s basketball played in the Norfolk Scope, it brought home the MEAC title. The way the team opened up the 2023 MEAC Tournament, it might not be done collecting titles.
Howard rolled into the MEAC Tournament with a 65-37 dismantling of Delaware State on Thursday afternoon. The win propelled it into the semifinals where it will take on Maryland-Eastern Shore on Friday for a right to play on Championship Saturday.
The Bison held the Hornets to just 18 points in the second half and limited them to just 25 percent shooting from the field – including a 1-for-19 performance from 3-point range.
Howard was led by Aziah Hudson, who scored a game-high 21 points and added four assists. MEAC Player of The Year Destiny Howell added 19 points in the winning effort. She hit just four of her 13 attempts from the 3-point line, but she says she didn’t feel any additional pressure with the freshly minted mantle.
“I don’t think there’s any added pressure. I’ve been doing what I’ve been doing since the season started,” Howell said after the game. “The goal is not to win Player of the Year, the goal is to get to the championship. So I’m just here playing basketball, doing what I do every day.”
HU has had an up-and-down season in 2023, as demonstrated by its 15-13 record after Thursday’s win. It has now won three games in a row and head coach Ty Grace says she’s starting to like what she’s seen.
“We’re playing better. I feel like we can always get better, but I feel like we are playing good basketball right now,” Grace said after the game. “I’m proud that they have not sunk. They really stepped up to the plate and rose to the occasion when we had these challenges. So do I feel like we’re playing our best? No, we’re really playing good basketball right now.”
To get back to the MEAC title game for the third straight year, Howard will need to beat Maryland-Eastern Shore for the third time this season on Friday.