Rising Star Destiny Howell Leads Howard To Third-Straight Win
The Howard Bison women's basketball team defeated the Lady Bulldogs of South Carolina State 67-35 for their third consecutive victory.
The streaking Bison entered Monday's contest heavily favored to defeat a South Carolina State, a team that sat at the very bottom of the MEAC standings with a 1-17 record.
Jan. 20, 2023; Howard's guard Destiny Howell; Credit: Ray Rogers, HBCU Legends
After a slow start in which neither team scored a basket for the game's first three minutes, Junior guard Destiny Howell put her team on the board by scoring two quick baskets with just under 7 minutes to play in the first quarter.
Stepping up in critical moments is nothing new for Howell, who continues to emerge as a leader and reliable scorer who averages 15.8 PPG this season.
A player of the caliber of Destiny Howell makes life much easier for Howard head coach Ty Grace who wasn't pleased with the team's sluggish start.
"Yeah, we started out a little slow, and I didn't like the energy we came out with in that first quarter," Coach Grace stated. "Destiny got that first shot, so that always gives us a big boost. I mean she's capable to score at any point in the game, but you know her scoring leads to us having a lot of energy and picking up the pace and tempo of the game."
Despite early scoring woes, the Bison eventually settled in and built a nine-point advantage to end the first quarter. Destiny Howell scored 12 of the 19 first-quarter points for Howard.
The second quarter displayed a more collective effort on both ends of the floor, propelled by the Bison applying full-court pressure, which created turnovers and high percentage looks at the basket in transition. A boost in defensive intensity resulted in South Carolina State shooting 2 - 17 in the second quarter.
Conversely, the Bison shot 45.5% from the field in the quarter and entered halftime with a 15-point advantage.
Third-Quarter Hammer
To start the second half, Howard clearly sought to crush any potential hope of the struggling Lady Bulldogs. The Bison maintained their effectiveness on the defensive end, limiting their opponent to a mere two third-quarter points. Destiny Howell knocked down back-to-back three-pointers in the quarter and saw her night end with 4:44 remaining in the third and the Bison ahead 45 - 20.
Destiny Howell led the Howard Bison in scoring with 20 points despite the early exit.
Lessons For The Long Haul
With the one-sided nature of Monday's contest, it was to be expected that Coach Ty Grace would completely clear her bench while cruising to a relatively easy conference victory. However, in a completely opposite fashion, Coach Grace raised her intensity level while exhibiting a great deal of passion as she remained active in drawing up plays and directing her team even as the Bison lead swelled to 34 points. Coach Grace's approach makes sense for a team looking to repeat as MEAC tournament champions.
When asked about her approach at that juncture in the game, Coach Grace declared, "I have to continue to coach my team because we're still working to prepare for the next games."
Ty Grace has coached and worked at the highest level of collegiate sports with a resume that includes serving as a top assistant and recruiting director for Seton Hall university. More importantly, Coach Grace knows how to win, and her players respond accordingly.
With the win over South Carolina State, the Bison moved to 4-2 in MEAC play while remaining near the top of the conference standings.
The combination of last season's success that resulted in a MEAC tournament title coupled with lessons learned in games like tonight's could prove pivotal for the Bison moving forward. Time will tell, but it's safe to say that when the dust settles, the fact remains that the 2022-23 Howard Bison will compete to the very end.