Lady Hornets hang tough in loss to Old Dominion

DOVER, Del. – Coming in as a heavy underdog, the Delaware State women’s basketball team (0-1) began its 2013-14 season with 97-67 defeat on the road at the hands of Old Dominion (1-0), behind Stephanie Gardner’s career-high 21 points for the Lady Monarchs.

ODU out-rebounded the Hornets, 56-40, along with totaling 31 second chance points. From behind the arc, meanwhile, the Monarchs went 11-for-26 (.423), whereas DSU went 3-for-9 (.333).

The bright spot for DSU offensively, on the other hand, featured three players finishing in double figures, led by Raven Bankston (8-of-12) and forward Tierra Hawkins (7-of-16) 18 points.  Hawkins also added eight rebounds, while guard Raine Bankston chipped in with 11 (3-of-11) points and three assists.

Also, turning in a solid performance was forward Deanna Harmon with a team-high 11 rebounds, to go along with nine (3-of-6) points.

For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com

Howard opens season with loss at Virginia Tech

BLACKSBURG, VA --- Six players scored in double figures for Virginia Tech as the Hokies handed the Howard women's basketball team a 84-32 loss on Saturday afternoon at VT's Cassell Coliseum in the season opener for both teams.

Howard, who was playing its first game under newly hired head coach Tennille Adams and with a major roster overhaul after losing the core of the three-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference tournaments finalists, showed some signs of promise but mostly struggled to keep pace with a much bigger and more aggressive Virginia Tech team.

Sophomore guard Te’Shya Heslip paced Howard (0-1) with team-highs of 10 points, five assists, three rebounds and five steals in 23 minutes of the bench. Fellow sophomore reserve Victoria Gonzalez led HU in rebounds with five to go along with five points, three blocks and an assist. 

Virginia Tech (1-0) was led by freshman Maddison Penn, who tallied 13 bench points.

Heslip, the Dumfries, Va., native who was playing in front of a handful of family and friends, was the only Lady Bison to reach double figures in a game where Howard shot a combined 22 percent (13-of-59) from the field and missed all 13 of the three-point attempts. By contrast, Virginia Tech shot 43.5 percent (30-of-69) from the floor and 31.8 percent (7-of-22) from behind the arc.

For complete story, visit www.hubison.com