The Short Story:  A slow start to the game by the University of Maryland Eastern Shore women's basketball team on Saturday afternoon allowed the Bison of Howard to hold on in a defensive battle for a 52-47 MEAC win. 

THE GAME FACTS
Score: Howard 52, UMES 47
Location: Washington, D.C.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Bison got off to a quick start with a 9-0 run to begin the game over the first three minutes. A layup by Mahogany Lester put the Hawks on the board at 6:54. Howard would build their lead up to 12 with 3:09 remaining in the period before UMES score the final four points of the quarter to bring it back down to eight, 18-10.
• A three pointer by Zamara Haynes to start the second quarter cut the Bison lead down to five. The teams would trade baskets and free throws the rest of the half with the Hawks beginning to chip away at the lead, cutting the Howard advantage down by one to 26-19 going into halftime. 
• Compared to the start of the first two quarters, the third was high-scoring with the Bison extending their lead up to 10, 37-27, with 4:40 on the clock. They would be the lats points the Bison would score until 12 seconds left as UMES cut the lead down to just four on a Jála Bannerman "and one" with 45 seconds showing. 
• An identical scoring margin in from the third to the fourth saw the Hawks cut one more into the 39-33 Bison lead to start the period. A layup by Ariana Seawell at 8:20 was the lone points put on the scoreboard until Howard made a three at 4:26. The Bison pushed their lead up to 10 with 20 seconds left before the Hawks brought down to five as the buzzer sounded, 52-47.

BY THE NUMBERS

• Lester and Seawell each scored 11 points to lead the Hawks. 
• Seawell had the team-high eight rebounds.
• The Hawks lead Howard in bench points (23-6), points in the paint (26-16), and fast break points (14-11).
• The Bison were led by Tyana Walker's 18 points and Nile Miller's 12 rebounds.

ON THE BENCH WITH BATCHELOR

• "Poor shooting from the perimeter led to early offense for Howard."
• "Looking forward to getting back on the floor at home against the reigning MEAC champion on Monday"
• "I expect our guard play to be much better as we don;t want to experience back-to-back conference loses."

UP NEXT

• The Hawks host the 2023 MEAC champion Norfolk State on Monday, February 5 at the Hytche Athletic Center. Game time with the Spartans is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.