The Game

The Delaware State women's basketball team (7-19, 2-12 MEAC) will look to avenge an early season loss to the Howard Bison (10-16, 6-7 MEAC) Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.), in what will be the Lady Hornets' final home game of the 2013-14 season.

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The Opponent

» Howard Bison (10-16, 6-7 MEAC)

HU comes into Saturday's contest dropping five out its last six games, including its last three with losses to UMES, Hampton and Norfolk State.  Leading the offensive charge for Howard is guard Te'Shya Heslip as the squad's leader in points (13.4 ppg), rebounds (5.5 rpg), assists (52) and steals (66). Averaging 11.4 points per contest, meanwhile, is center Victoria Gonzalez, who leads the Bison in blocks (37).

» The Head Coach: Tennille Adams is in her first season.

» The Series: DSU is 28-48 all-time against Howard. Earlier in the season on Jan. 2, the Lady Hornets fell on the road, 70-64, despite forward Tierra Hawkins totaling a game-high 26 points (10-of-18) and a career-high 16 rebounds, and guard/forward Deanna Harmon posting 15 points (5-of-7) and 12 rebounds. Last season, the Bison defeated Delaware State twice with both victories by 10 points or more.    

A Win Would Mean…

» The Hornets' first win over Howard since Feb. 9, 2009 with DSU pulling out a 45-32 win at home.

» Delaware State's second victory in the last eight games.

» DSU's sixth home victory of the season, its third in MEAC play. 

Last Time Out…

The Lady Hornets came up short at home on Monday to the Morgan State Bears, 65-54.  At game's end, the Bears shot 41 percent (24-of-58) from the field with four players scoring in double figures, led by guard Tracey Carrington tallying 20 points (5-of-12) and a team-high four assists.  In the case of Delaware State, it struggled to shoot just 31 percent (9-of-29) in the second half to finish the evening at 38 percent (21-of-55).  Guard Raven Bankston, who scored 30 points or more in her last two games, tallied 20 points (8-of-19), four rebounds, four assists and two blocks.  Forward Tylinn Carter was the only other Hornet to score in double figures 15 points (7-of-15), which matched a career-high, to go along with a team-high nine rebounds.   

Harmon Says Goodbye

Saturday, senior Deanna Harmon will be honored for Senior Day.  A native of Owings Mills, Md., she will go down as one of the most versatile and durable players in team history, appearing in 114 games and making 107 starts in four seasons.  In the DSU all-time record books, Harmon sits second in assists (271), 10th in steals (199) and 12th in rebounds (579), while also scoring 950 points throughout her career.

Bankston Garners MEAC Player of the Week for a Second Time, Seventh Weekly Award Overall

On Monday, guard Raven Bankston was named MEAC Player of the Week award after registering back-to-back 30-point games against Florida A&M (Feb. 17) and Maryland Eastern Shore (Feb. 22).  With this honor, not only has Bankston been named MEAC Player of the Week twice, but it marks the seventh time this season she's earned a conference weekly award.  Throughout the year, she has garnered five MEAC Rookie of the Week awards, which is the most in team history.  

Bankston Rolling of Late

In her last eight games, freshman Raven Bankston is averaging 26.3 points per game on 45 percent (69-of-155) shooting, including five games scoring at least 25 points and three games tallying 30 points or more.  Her best game during stretch occurred in DSU's recent win at home over UMES with a career-high 36 points (12-of-24). In the Hornets' 86-66 road victory at Morgan State (Feb. 1), Bankston scored 35 points (13-of-23), which followed up a 28-point (13-of-21) effort against Wesley (Jan. 27).  As a result, she was named MEAC Player of the Week for the first time ever.  In addition, she was named MEAC Rookie of the Week for the sixth time after scoring a game-high 26 points (11-of-28), to go along with five rebounds, three assists and two blocks in DSU's 64-60 loss at home to South Carolina State (Feb. 10).  Currently, Bankston sits third in the MEAC in scoring (20.4 ppg).

MEAC Struggles

Currently, Delaware State sits 13th in the MEAC standings with its 2-12 mark.  In these 14 games, the Lady Hornets are being outscored 72-62 and shooting 39 percent from the field, including 29 percent from long distance. On the glass, teams are out-rebounding DSU, 611-498, whereas the Hornets have struggled to take care of the ball with 245 turnovers, compared to 172 assists.  

Can't Shake the Injury Bug

Throughout the season, the Lady Hornets have been hit hard on the injury front. Freshman center Janay Carter went down with a season-ending knee injury before playing a game, whereas guard Raine Bankston suffered the same injury after starting five games.  In addition, freshman Kareena Pitts (foot) has been inactive since Jan. 29 and is out for the rest of the season. 

Earlier in the year, guard Diamond Williams (ankle) missed three games before returning to action against NCCU (Jan. 18), while guard Raven Bankston suffered a sprained ankle in practice and did not suit up in DSU's loss at Coppin State (Feb. 3).  Recently, starting point guard Jade Washington (hamstring) missed her first game ever in DSU's 75-64 loss to Morgan State (Feb. 24).

Hawkins Done for the Season with Shoulder Injury

The Hornets took another hit on the injury front with leading scorer (20.7 ppg) and rebounder Tierra Hawkins (10.2 rpg) officially ruled out for the rest of the season due to a shoulder injury.  In her final game,  Hawkins recorded her eighth double-double of the season with 11 points (5-of-18) and a game-high 15 rebounds in DSU's 50-47 loss at North Carolina A&T (Jan. 20). Hawkins wraps up her junior campaign as one of eight players in the country averaging 20+ points and 10+ rebounds per game.  In DSU's 86-73 win at home over Wilmington (Nov. 20), she tallied 30 points to eclipse 1,000 career points to become the 15th player in Hornets history to reach this milestone.  Currently, she sits eighth on the school's all-time scoring list with 1,280 points.  Also, Hawkins was named MEAC Player of the Week twice this season (Nov. 25 and Jan. 6).  

At This Point Last Season…

The Lady Hornets were 9-17 overall and 6-7 in MEAC play, coming off a 49-41 loss at home to Hampton.

Coming Up Next…

DSU will conclude the regular season next Thursday evening (5:30 p.m.) at UMES.  Last week, the Hornets came away with a 79-68 over the Hawks at home.