HAMPTON, Va. -- A frantic fourth quarter comeback attempt fell short on Saturday night as Howard defeated Hampton 67-62 in a key Mie-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) women's basketball contest at the HU Convocation Center.

Howard was blistering from the field in the second half hitting 15-of-21 (71.4%) in the final two quarters. The Bison went on a 17-6 run over a five minute span of the third quarter to lead 52-41 on a Sarah Edmond jumper with 24 seconds left. A 3-pointer from DeJane James got the margin back under double diguts trailing 52-44 heading into the final quarter.

A pair of Edmond free throws stretched the lead to 58-44 with 7:37 left in the game before Hampton mounted a furious comeback attempt. A pair of layups from Ashley Bates and a free throw from her trimmed the deficit to 58-51 with 5:06 left.

The lead stayed at seven points after a Te'Shya Heslip free throw with 1:38 left to give Hoard a 62-55 lead, but Hampton made another push behind a defensive attack that did force Howard into 32 turnovers in the game. A 3-pointer by K'Lynn Willis as the shot clock was winding down and a pair of Monnazjea Finney-Smith free throws trimmed the deficit to 62-60 with 1:14 left.

Finney-Smith got an offensive rebound from a missed free throw and converted two free throws to tie the game 62-all with 1:03 left. That turned into the final points of the night as a Sydni Johnson 3-pointer and a layup by Jayla Myles gave the Bison the final 67-62 margin.

Hampton opened the game with 3-pointers from Jephany Brown and Finney-Smith to lead 6-0 at the 7:31 mark. Howard scored 12 of the next 16 points to lead 12-10 on a free throw by Heslip with 1:54 remaining in the first. Kaylah Lupoe tied the game at 14-all to close the first on a layup with 12 seconds left.

Finney-Smith recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds, while Willis added 10 points to lead Hampton. The Lady Pirates were doomed by a 14-of-32 performance from the foul line (43.8%) and 21-of-75 from the field (28%). Howard out-rebounded Hampton 43-41, though the Lady Pirates held a 27-7 advantage on the offensive boards.

Hampton returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 18 in Daytona Beach, Fla. facing league-leading Bethune-Cookman University.

For more information on Hampton University women's basketball, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5906 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.