Junior forward Zennia Thomas scored 19 points to lead Howard to a 72-62 win over Siena in the first round of the WNIT on Friday night.
The victory was the program’s first-ever WNIT win.
Siena set the tone when extending a 20-17 lead at the end of one quarter into a 36-30 lead at intermission.
Siena (17-14) was able to get the lead courtesy of the play of Teressa Seppala, who led the way with 11 points and eight rebounds.
The Bison had trouble finding the early range, missing 25-of-39 shots, including 2-of-13 on 3-point attempts.
Howard made some adjustments and went on an 11-0 run near the end of the third quarter.
It was Thomas who fueled the Bison burst by hitting several mid-range jumpers.
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Bison Forward Kaiya Creek came off the bench to score 11 points, six of them during a run when she hit back-to-back 3-pointers to help Howard close out the quarter with a 54-47 lead.
Siena was able to cut the lead to two points on three different occasions, but Thomas and HBCU All-American guards Destiny Howell and Saniyah King had an answer each time.
Down the stretch, the Howard defense made some key plays, including two steals by Thomas and two blocks by junior forward Nile Miller.
Thomas added seven rebounds to her stat sheet. King rebounded from a subpar MEAC Tournament performance to score 16 points and tally five assists without a turnover. Howell contributed 11 points, five rebounds and three assists in a solid all-around effort.
Howard will next play the College of Charleston on Monday, March 24.
Courtesy: Howard Athletics
