A total of five Bison have entered their names into the transfer portal following their second-round loss in the postseason Women’s National Invitational Tournament (WNIT) at the TD Arena, where they fell to the College of Charleston 76-56.
The loss on March 24 concluded the Bison’s season, finishing with an overall record of 22-12 and a conference record of 12-2, reaching the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title game for the fifth consecutive year.
The WNIT currently hosts 48 teams and awards an automatic berth to each conference. The Bison advanced to the second round after defeating Siena College 72-62 on March 21.
As the Bison prepare for next season, the team will have a different look with graduate guard Destiny Howell, freshman guard Saniyah King, sophomore guards Janyah Bohanon and Tyana Walker as well as senior forward Amirah Allen entering the transfer portal.
Following their announcements, Head Coach Ty Grace made two posts on X on that appeared to be aimed at players in the transfer portal.
The first post read, “In the portal but not the gym. Wild times we live in.” While the second ambiguously stated, “Changing schools and not your bad habits. Scary.”
Destiny Howell, a graduate student in the women’s studies program from Queens, New York, said, “People know that I’m in the transfer portal right now and it has nothing to do with the love that I have for the university, for the program, for my coaches, for my team.”
Howell further asserted she had no negative feelings for the university.
“I feel like this was the decision that I had to make for the betterment of my future and the goals that I have,” she said.
In their loss, junior forward Zennia Thomas recorded her fifth double-double, 15 points and 10 rebounds, of the season against the Cougars. Thomas shot an efficient 5-9 from the floor and 5-of-6 from the free throw line along with a career-high of three blocks.
Thomas, a junior health science major from Cleveland, attributed her on-court play to her mental fortitude, saying, “[It’s] just the mindset that I’m going to go get a bucket regardless of what defense they throw at me.”
Additionally, Thomas explained that her three blocks came from her “hunger to play defense.” She relied on her preparation to bolster her rim protection, revealing, “I knew they had scorers that were trying to get to the basket and drive.”
In the first quarter, the Cougars took a commanding 19-8 lead and never relinquished the advantage.
The College of Charleston utilized a balanced scoring attack featuring four players scoring double figures, combined with stout defense to hold on to the lead into half-time as the score stood 35-26. The Cougars started the fourth quarter with a 10-0 run, which would put the game away.
The team-leading scorer, Howell, scored 13 points but dealt with foul trouble early on in the game as well as inefficient shooting.
Howell concluded her career as the eighth leading scorer in school history. In the game, she connected on 4-of-16 shots and 1-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Freshman guard Saniyah King, the team’s second-leading scorer, missed 15-of-18 shots taken, including all five of her three-point attempts. King recorded four rebounds, four assists and two steals that night.
Stifled offensively, the Bison shot 29 percent from the field and 18 percent from the three-point line. The team also struggled with the paint and surrendered 24 points off 17 turnovers. The Cougars are known for utilizing turnovers as they lead the nation in points off turnovers, according to MEAC Sports.
Leading the Cougars were Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Year Taryn Barbot with a game-high of 19 points, McKinley Brooks-Sumpter with 16 points, Taylor Barbot with 15 points and 11 assists and Lara Rohkohl with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
Before Howard attempts to regroup and reach the NCAA tournament again during the 2025-2026 season, they have to replace substantial assets with quick recruiting in the transfer portal, late signings of incoming freshmen, or both.
Copy edited by Aniyah Genama
Editor’s Note: The original version of this article said four players entered the transfer portal instead of five. The article was corrected to portray the accurate number of players.
