NORFOLK, Va. (Interstat) — The Howard women’s basketball team defeated Coppin State 65-50 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game Friday at Constant Convocation Center. Howard used a dominant second quarter, outscoring Coppin State 23-15, to build a double-digit lead it would not relinquish. Ariella Henigan led all scorers with 22 points for the Lady Bison. Zennia Thomas added 14 points and nine rebounds. Sydney Burris posted a double-double for the Eagles with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Khila Morris scored a team-high 14 points for Coppin State. Howard forced 25 turnovers, converting them into 23 points, and recorded 15 steals. The Lady Bison improved to 25-7 overall. Coppin State fell to 10-23.

NORFOLK, Va. (Interstat) — The Howard Lady Bison used a dominant second-quarter surge fueled by relentless defensive pressure to pull away from the Coppin State Eagles and secure a 65-50 victory in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women’s basketball tournament semifinal on Friday afternoon at the Constant Convocation Center. The game’s decisive stretch came in the second period, where Howard transformed a narrow 15-8 first-quarter lead into a commanding 38-23 halftime advantage. The Lady Bison outscored Coppin State 23-15 in the quarter, but the story was their defensive execution. Howard forced 10 Coppin State turnovers in the period alone, converting those miscues into 12 points. The Eagles, plagued by ball-handling issues all afternoon, finished with 25 total turnovers, which Howard translated into 23 points. Ariella Henigan, a 5-foot-6 guard from Chicago, was the offensive catalyst for Howard, scoring a game-high 22 points, including three 3-pointers. Her back-to-back 3-pointers late in the second quarter helped stretch the lead to 15 points. Zennia Thomas of Cleveland, Ohio, provided a formidable inside presence, finishing with 14 points and nine rebounds, while also drawing frequent fouls and going a perfect 6-for-6 from the free-throw line. Nile Miller added nine points, five rebounds and a game-high six steals, her active hands epitomizing Howard’s disruptive defensive scheme. Coppin State, which ended its season with a 10-23 record, struggled to find any offensive rhythm against Howard’s swarming defense. The Eagles shot just 33.3% from the field and managed only five assists against 25 turnovers. Khila Morris led the Eagles with 14 points and three blocks, and Sydney Burris recorded a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds, but their efforts were undermined by the team’s collective ball-security issues. Howard’s defensive intensity set the tone from the opening tip. The Lady Bison recorded 15 steals and consistently jumped passing lanes, making it difficult for Coppin State to initiate its offense. This defensive prowess compensated for a subpar shooting afternoon for Howard, which shot just 32.4% from the field. The Lady Bison’s efficiency came from creating extra opportunities, winning the points-off-turnovers battle 23-11 and attempting 71 field goals to Coppin State’s 54. After taking the 15-point lead into halftime, Howard maintained control throughout the second half. Coppin State never mounted a serious threat, as every mini-run was answered by a Howard basket or a forced turnover. The Lady Bison led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter before Coppin State narrowed the final margin slightly in the fourth. With the victory, Howard improved to 25-7 and advanced to the MEAC tournament championship game. The Lady Bison, who entered the game with a projected 92.2% probability of winning according to National Statistical’s ELO system, will seek an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament. Coppin State’s season concludes, having lost all three meetings to Howard this season by an average of 15.3 points. The most critical phase of the contest was undeniably Howard’s second-quarter blitz, a period defined by defensive havoc that effectively decided the outcome long before the final buzzer.

NORFOLK, Va. (Interstat) — The Howard Lady Bison, one of the nation’s most improved teams, look to continue their dominant season when they face the Coppin State Eagles in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Friday at Constant Convocation Center. Howard (24-7) enters the contest on a nine-game winning streak, including a 75-43 rout of South Carolina State on Wednesday. The Lady Bison have already defeated Coppin State twice this season, winning 75-67 at home on Feb. 26 and 64-51 on the road Jan. 22. The Lady Bison are led by standout forward Zennia Thomas, who is averaging 16.3 points and 7.4 rebounds over her last six games. She scored 19 points with nine rebounds in the recent win over South Carolina State and had 11 points in the February victory over Coppin State. Coppin State (10-22) snapped a four-game skid with a 70-52 win over North Carolina Central on Thursday. The Eagles were led by a balanced effort, with Khila Morris scoring 17 points and Erin Henry adding 12 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Henry, a key player for the Eagles, has been inconsistent of late. She followed a 13-point performance on Feb. 21 with a two-point outing in the last meeting against Howard. Her ability to contribute across the stat sheet will be crucial for Coppin State’s chances. Howard’s defense has been a cornerstone of its success, holding opponents to an average of 56.2 points during its winning streak. Coppin State averages just 64.3 points per game and was held to 34 points in a loss to Norfolk State on Feb. 28. According to National Statistical’s ELO system, Howard is projected with a 92.20 percent probability to win. The game is part of a neutral-site event in Norfolk, with Coppin State scheduled to face Norfolk State at the same venue Saturday.