January 7, 2013

written by Ariel V. Germain, Assistant Sports Information Director

Game Notes: Howard at Coppin State 

WASHINGTON, D.C. (www.howard-bison.com) – January 6 – It's that time of the year again, where all the preseason predictions and preseason accolades are put to the test, its conference time and Howard kicks-off with the Lady Eagles of Coppin State on Monday, Jan. 7 at 6:00 p.m. in Baltimore, Md. 

On the season, HU is 6-6 overall, 4-0 in Burr Gymnasium, 1-5 on the road, 1-0 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference action.  In the all-time series against CSU, the Lady Eagles lead the series 12-7 (record reflects contest since 2002-03). 

The Lady Bison already boast a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win, with a 54-40 victory over Delaware State on Monday, December 3 in Dover, Del. 

Coppin State is currently 4-10 overall, 0-1 in the MEAC, 4-1 at home, and 0-9 on the road. 

While Coppin State returns to the Physical Education Complex (4,100) with a 53-70 loss to the Charlotte 49ers (Jan. 3), Howard enters the contest with a 61-58 victory over Temple in Washington, D.C., on Friday, Jan. 4. 

Lady Bison senior Saadia Doyle, who was named Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Pre-Season Player of the Year in November, seized an season-best 32 points, while pulling down nine rebounds and going 11-12 from the charity stripe, 10-of-19 from the field and 1-of-1 from behind the arc.  Fellow classmates Cheyenne Curley-Payne and Kara Smith, who consistently play apart in the offense mix, supplemented the winning effort; Curley-Payne snatched a team-high 10 points and grabbed four steals, as Smith finished with 11 points on the night. 

The collective effort consisted of a 41 percent outing from the field, a 36 percent effort from the long range and an 80 percent finish from the free-throw line, which is the best free-throw performance on the season.

• Niki Reid Geckeler is in her fourth season as head coach

• Finished second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

• Fell 59-56 OT to Virginia during the WNIT in 2012

• This is the second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference meeting of the season

• HU is 7-12 in the all-time series with Coppin State (record reflects all contests since the 2002-03 season)

• Howard goes for its seventh victory after a 61-58 win over Temple

• Saadia Doyle seized an season-best 32 points, while pulling down nine rebounds and going 11-of-12 from the charity stripe, 10-of-19 from the field and 1-of-1 from behind the arc

• Cheyenne Curley-Payne snatched a team-high 10 points and grabbed four steals, as Kara Smith finished with 11 points on the night

• On the season, the Lady Bison average 55.5 points per game, 34 percent from the field, 28 percent from the long range, and 65 percent from the free-throw line 

Probable Starters

No.	Name	Ht.	Yr.	Pos.	MPG	PPG
5	Cheyenne Curley-Payne	5-8	Sr.	G	35.8	8.8
10	Jerrelle Gorham	5-8	R-Jr.	G	30.9	6.1
13	Saadia Doyle	5-10	Sr.	G	33.2	23.0
32	Nicole Deterville	6-0	Sr.	F	24.6	1.9
44	Kara Smith	6-0	Sr.	F	32.8	9.6

Primary Reserves

No.	Name	Ht.	Yr.	Pos.	MPG	PPG
14	Cabria Johnson	6-0	R-Jr.	F	8.0	1.9
24	Imani Bailey	5-9	Fr.	G	13.6	3.3
34	Portia Deterville	6-0	Sr.	F	10.7	0.3

Scouting Coppin State

• Derek Brown is in his 12th season at Coppin State

• The Eagles are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

• Coppin State is currently 4-10 overall, 0-1 in the MEAC, 4-1 at home, and 0-9 on the road

• Shawntae Payne tallied the only double-figure outing with 12 points, while Kyra Coleman pulled down eight rebounds during Coppin's 70-53 loss to Charlotte on Thursday, Jan. 3

• On the night, CSU shot 30 percent from the field and 65 percent from the free-throw line

• The Eagles average 65 ppg., while going 35 percent from the field, 32 percent from three-point range and 65 percent from the free-throw line

Seeing Double

Lady Bison standout begun her double-double performances, on the season Doyle has:

• 21 points and 10 rebounds (DePaul)

• 12 points and 11 rebounds (Northwestern) 

• 24 points and 10 rebounds (Delaware State)

• 25 points and 10 rebounds (Pepperdine)

Consecutive Honors for Doyle

Saadia Doyle was name Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Preseason Player of the Year for the second consecutive season.  The honor was announced on Thursday, Nov. 1.

What Have You Heard about the Herd

Along with Doyle's accolades, the Lady Bison were predicted to finish first in the MEAC this 2012-13 season.

Major News

Among 340 mid-major Division I institutions in the country, the Lady Bison ranked 12th above Richmond (Atlantic 10), Harvard (Ivy) and Central Michigan (Mid-American) on the preseason list. 

For more information on Lady Bison Basketball or for up-to-date scores and statistics, visit the official website of Howard Athletics at www.howard-bison.com. 

-HU-