MIAMI, FL - The Howard University women's basketball team will be looking to snap a three-game skid when it takes on Florida International University in the first round of the FIU Thanksgiving Classic on Friday at 12 Noon in the Ocean Bank Center. The other first round match features Drake and the University of Massachusetts. The game will be broadcast on CUSA TV.

The two teams are not strangers to each other. The Bison (1-3) defeated FIU 89-62 on December 15, 2018 and also 69-62 in December of 2017. 

FIU (1-2) enters the game with a loss to Jacksonville University last Saturday on the road. They opened the season with a convincing 103-56 win over North Carolina Central at home but followed with a 92-63 setback to Florida Gulf Coast.

FIU is led by red-shirt freshman guard Sifa Joyeuse (18.0 ppg, 5.0 rpg), junior red-shirt guard Mihaele Lazic (11.0 ppg, 4.0 apg), and junior forward Marie Torres and senior guard Kaliah Henderson, who average 10 points, respectively.

Howard dropped a tough 56-54 road loss to Manhattan College last Saturday. The Bison depend on their dynamic backcourt of junior guard Destiny Howell and senior guard Iyanna Warren, who each average 13 points per game. Howard has been plagued by injuries in the early season and it has affected its team chemistry, especially on offense. Howell and Warren have both missed a game and senior forward Krislyn Marsh has missed the last two games and is questionable for the tournament. The 6-0 senior forward is an important part of the Bison's rebounding and defense.  Howard is hoping that graduate senior transfer Aziah Hudson can continue to pick up the scoring slack. She is averaging 10.3 points per game. Nyla Cooper has also stepped up with production off the bench (7.0 points per game).

Following this game, the Bison return to action on Sunday and will play either Drake or UMass at 11 am or 1 pm.