WASHINGTON — Howard University women’s basketball team is preparing for one of its biggest games ever.
The team will take on the University of South Carolina. The Gamecocks are a number 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
The Howard Lady Bison recently won their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 21 years. After that, they achieved another major accomplishment Wednesday. The team defeated the University of Incarnate Word to get its first NCAA Tournament win ever.
Head Coach Ty Grace said her team is prepared for any challenge ahead.
“I mean, we're still here, we're still dancing, so my team is still feeling all the good vibes,” she said.
Grace said her team is humble but has enjoyed the attention it has received so far.
“They know, at the end of the day, what they've been through and what they’ve endured throughout the season,” she said.
Grace added the team’s presence in the tournament will make an impact on the program for years to come.
“It does a lot,” she said. “It definitely tells a young woman that decided to come to and HBCU, especially Howard, that you can win, you can win at this level, you can win on this stage,” she said.
Howard isn’t the only university with a women’s team in the NCAA Tournament this year.
Mt. St. Mary’s University, of Emmitsburg, Maryland, lost to Longwood University Thursday night 70-74.
The Maryland women will face Delaware Friday afternoon.
While American University’s women’s team is scheduled to take on Michigan on Saturday.