Petty Leads Howard to First Win

Washington, DC--Asia Petty just missed her first career triple double but her 10 second half points helped propel Howard University to an 81-74 win over Norfolk State University in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's game at Burr Gymnasium. The win was the first of the season for the Lady Bison (1-10 overall, 1-1 in the MEAC).

With Norfolk State employing a box-and-one defense, Petty missed eight of her 10 shots from the field, but she more than compensated by hitting 13 of 14 free throws while adding 11 rebounds and finding her teammates for a career-high nine assists.

The Spartans ((1-8 overall, 1-1 in the MEAC) rallied from a 12-point second half deficit to take a 68-65 lead on a three-point basket by Tamika Cox (11 points, 6 rebounds).

Howard took leads of seven on two different occasions, but each time, Norfolk State scrapped its way back into the game with hustle baskets from Shenae Johnson, who tallied 14 of her 21 points after intermission and Renatta Phillips (15 points, 14 rebounds).

But clutch free throw shooting by Petty and key plays from Courtney Kirk (14 points) and reserve guard Daisha Hicks (11 points) helped the Lady Bison break their winless streak.

The Lady Bison shot only 35 percent from the field, but they shot a season-best 81 percent from the free throw line (30 of 37).