Courtesy of Howard University Athletic Media Relations


Box Score


WASHINGTON, D.C., Dec. 22, 2020 – Senior guard Jayla Thornton poured in a season-best 29 points in the Howard University women's basketball team's 65-54 victory over Atlantic 10 foe Richmond inside Burr Gymnasium on Tuesday.
 
"It's important to get a bounce-back win today," Howard head women's basketball coach Ty Grace said. "It's been a growth process because we're so young. We learned from the previous game so we can put ourselves in a better situation to win."
 
With the win, Howard improve to 4-1 on the season, while grabbing its third victory against an A-10 opponent. Howard also secured its first win over the Spiders in program history.
 
Early on, Howard had multiple Bison in foul trouble; however, Coach Grace replied heavily on Thornton to weather the storm.
 
"Jayla definitely carried the scoring output today," said Grace on her senior captain. "She was able to stay on the floor because she did not get into foul trouble and she was making shots."
 
Thornton had arguably one of her best offensive performance in 38 minutes of action. Along with a game-high 29 points, Thornton made five long balls while going a perfect 10-of-10 at the foul line.
 
"I know a lot of teams are going to focus on me," Thornton said. "I just stay positive, keep pushing through and adjust. I have to keep finding ways to contribute."
 
Howard held a 30-27 halftime lead, but the Spiders went on a 13-5 run, capped off by a trey ball from Elaina Chapman, 35-40, with less than five minutes left in the third.
 
Howard regained the momentum and took back the lead after closing the period on a 12-5 spurt, 47-46.
 
Richmond's Siobhan Ryan made a layup and tied the contest at 51 with 4:32 remaining, but Howard clamped down on the defensive end to pull away late in the fourth. Howard finished the game on a 14-3 run to secure their fourth win of the season.
 
"We wanted to be the aggressors," Grace continued. "The comebacks are great, but we did not want to do that every time. We definitely set the tempo this game."
 
Sophomore forward Brooklynn Fort-Davis posted 11 points and six boards in the win.
 
For Richmond (3-3), Chapman and Ryan each produced a double-double in the loss.
 
"I think this win was very beneficial in building momentum for MEAC play," Thornton said. "We did a great job getting back on track, but we still have some things to fix. But it was definitely a good win for us today."