WASHINGTON — Howard University made sports history Wednesday night when the women's basketball team won its first-ever NCAA Tournament game.
The 55-51 win over the Incarnate Word University Cardinals was the first time the Howard University women's program made an NCAA Tournament appearance in 21 years. The Bison's win was also the first NCAA tournament win by any Howard team men or women.
Howard and Incarnate Word sprinted out the gate offensively before both teams' defenses settled in to slow down the pace of play by the start of the second quarter.
But losing by two points at halftime to the Cardinals sparked offensive production from the Bison.
Howard outscored Incarnate Word by five points in the second half to secure the victory.
Head coach Ty Grace said before the play-in game, the Bison women were playing with a chip on their shoulder.
"To see their name with a slash with another team, we thought that we were in," said Grace. "We are going to compete and we are going to play on Friday."
Howard (21-9) won the MEAC Conference Tournament last week to advance to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
Howard University will now play the best team in the tournament when it faces off against the University of South Carolina this coming Friday at 2 p.m.
"I hope ever woman looks at us and say that's where we want to be. To represent HBCU's, we know that there's a talented pool of athletes and coaches and we hope that we get recognized on the same playing field as everyone else," said Grace.
The Howard University women's basketball program has made the NCAA Tournament a total of six times. The Bison's last appearance in the NCAA Tournament was a loss to Iowa State in 2001.
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