February 18, 2013

Written by Ariel V. Germain, Assistant Sports Information Director

2012-13 Information Guide

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA. (www.howard-bison.com) – February 17 – In an effort to return to Washington, D.C., 2-0, the Howard University women's basketball team is set to battle the Lady Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman University on Monday, Feb. 18 at 5:30 p.m. in Daytona Beach, Fla.

Howard is 1-0 in "Sunshine State" action with a 58-57 win over Florida A&M on Saturday, Feb. 16 in Tallahassee, Fla. 

With 1:32 on the scoreboard and Howard down 55-52, senior Cheyenne Curley-Payne dropped a pair at the charity stripe, bringing the Lady Bison within two.  Fellow senior Kara Smith scored a three pointer at the 44.4 mark for a one-point lead.  Florida A&M's Jasmine Grice regained the lead from the free-throw line, nonetheless Howard pulled out the victory with a layup by Jerelle Gorham with 10-seconds left in the game.

Saadia Doyle, who was a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe, finished with 23 points.  Smith tallied 13 points, while Curley-Payne notched nine points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals. 

As a unit, the mighty blue and white shot 41 percent from the field (23-of-56), 29 percent from the three-point arc (4-of-14) and 67 percent  from the free-throw (8-of-12).

Statistically, Howard outscored FAMU in the pain (24-to-12), off second chances (13-to-4) and off the fast break (2-to-0). 

Howard is 15-9 on the season, 9-3 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, 7-7 on the road and 8-2 at home.

Lady Bison Bites

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

• Finished second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (2011-12)

• Saadia Doyle is 15^th in the country in scoring with 20.7 points per game and 74^th in rebounding with 9.1 pg.

• Cheyenne Curley-Payne is 20^th in the country in assists with 6.1 per game and 60^th in steals with 2.65 pg.

• Saadia Doyle leads the MEAC in Player of the Week honors and scoring

• This is the first and only regular-season meeting with Florida A&M

• Howard has defeated MEAC foes: Delaware State (54-40), Coppin State (67-54), Norfolk State (56-45), N.C. A&T (44-42), NCCU (56-30), Savannah State (53-41), UMES (59-30), Morgan State (68-33), and FAMU (58-57)

• HU defeated Florida A&M on Saturday, Feb. 16 in Tallahassee, Fla.

• Saadia Doyle, who was a perfect 5-of-5 from the charity stripe, finished with 23 points

• Kara Smith tallied 13 points, while Curley-Payne notched nine points, seven rebounds, seven assists, and three steals

• On the season, the Lady Bison average 55.0 points per game, 35 percent from the field, 29 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	36.4	8.7
10	Jerrelle Gorham	5-8	R-Jr.	G	27.8	5.0
13	Saadia Doyle	5-10	Sr.	G	35.0	20.8
32	Nicole Deterville	6-0	Sr.	F	21.9	2.1
44	Kara Smith	6-0	Sr.	F	33.5	9.6

Primary Reserves

No.	Name	Ht.	Yr.	Pos.	MPG	PPG
24	Imani Bailey	5-9	Fr.	G	16.4	3.7
34	Portia Deterville	6-0	Sr.	F	8.3	0.3
22	Victoria Gonzalez	6-0	Fr.	F	10.6	2.9

Scouting Bethune-Cookman

• Vanessa Blair is the head women's basketball coach at Bethune-Cookman

• The Lady Wildcats are members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

• B-CU is currently 11-11 overall, 6-4 in the MEAC, 7-3 at home, and 2-8 on the road

• In head-to-head action with North Carolina Central, Bethune-Cookman fell 51-34

• Terrenisha Hollis topped the tea, with 18 points and Shakeyia Colyer added 16 points, while KiKi Devane tallied seven rebounds

• The Lady Wildcats shot 37 percent from the field, 32 percent from the three-point range and 56 percent from the free-throw line

Seeing Double

Saadia Doyle's double-double performances:

• 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)

• 26 points and 15 rebounds (Coppin State)

• 19 points and 13 rebounds (North Carolina A&T)

• 27 points and 10 rebounds (New Jersey Institute of Technology)

• 10 points and 10 rebounds (Hampton) 

Consecutive Honors for Doyle

Saadia Doyle was named 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-