Final: Howard 76, Elon 69
Date: November 6, 2026
Venue: Burr Gymnasium | Washington, DC
Conference: Nonconference matchup
GAME OVERVIEW
Howard University delivered a response in its home opener, defeating Elon 76–69 at Burr Gymnasium.
After suffering a heartbreaking 91–88 overtime loss to Missouri, the Bison returned to Washington with an opportunity to establish momentum. Elon entered the matchup coming off an 84–50 season-opening victory over UNC Pembroke.
Howard faced an early challenge but demonstrated resilience, gradually taking control of the game and finishing with a seven-point victory.
The result moves Howard to 1-1 on the season and provides an important confidence boost heading into its next stretch of competition.
QUARTER-BY-QUARTER BREAKDOWN
FIRST QUARTER | Elon 21 – Howard 14
Elon established the early advantage, outscoring Howard by seven points in the opening period.
The Phoenix found their offensive rhythm early, while Howard worked to settle into the home opener.
What Howard needed to improve:
Establish a stronger defensive presence early.
Limit Elon’s offensive rhythm.
Create more consistent scoring opportunities.
SECOND QUARTER | Howard 25 – Elon 19
Howard responded with its strongest offensive quarter of the first half, putting up 25 points.
The Bison outscored Elon by six in the period, cutting into the deficit and demonstrating improved offensive execution.
This quarter was important because Howard refused to allow Elon’s early advantage to dictate the remainder of the game.
What Howard did well:
Increased offensive production.
Won the quarter by six points.
Responded after a slow start.
Regained momentum heading into halftime.
THIRD QUARTER | Howard 16 – Elon 15
The third quarter was closely contested, with Howard maintaining a one-point scoring advantage.
Rather than allowing Elon to regain control, the Bison continued to apply pressure and maintained their progress from the second quarter.
What Howard did well:
Continued to outscore Elon.
Maintained offensive consistency.
Avoided surrendering the momentum gained before halftime.
FOURTH QUARTER | Howard 21 – Elon 14
This was the deciding quarter.
Howard outscored Elon 21-14, creating the separation necessary to secure the seven-point victory.
The Bison finished stronger than their opponent, an encouraging development following the late-game struggles against Missouri.
What Howard did well:
Won the final quarter by seven points.
Improved its closing execution.
Maintained its advantage when the game was on the line.
Finished the home opener with a victory.
THE NUMBERS THAT TELL THE STORY
Statistical Category
Howard
Elon
Final Score
H 76
E 69
Field Goals
H 25/62
E 26/60
Field Goal %
H 40.3%
E 43.3%
Three-Pointers
H 7/20
E 5/19
Three-Point %
H 35.0%
E 26.3%
Free Throws
H 19/32
E 12/18
Free Throw %
H 59.4%
E 66.7%
Scoring by quarter
Quarter
Howard
Elon
First
14
21
Second
25
19
Third
16
15
Fourth
21
14
FINAL
76
69
INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE TO WATCH
Zoe Stewart – 20 points
Stewart was Howard’s leading scorer she created a way for each bucket to add up, she faught adversity and shot on several different levels to finish with 20 earned points.
Her scoring production was an important part of the Bison’s home-opening victory.
DEAN OF HOOPS FINAL TAKE
The biggest takeaway from this game is Howard’s response.
After experiencing a difficult fourth-quarter collapse against Missouri, the Bison showed improvement in their ability to finish a game.
Howard outscored Elon 46-29 over the final three quarters. That is a significant response after trailing by seven points following the opening period.
The Bison also demonstrated improved perimeter efficiency, connecting on 35% of their three-point attempts compared with Elon’s 26.3%.
There are still areas to address, particularly free-throw efficiency. Howard converted just 59.4% of its attempts from the charity stripe.
However, a win is a win, and Howard protected the BURR!
FINAL WORD: The Missouri loss was a lesson. The Elon victory was a response. Howard now has an opportunity to build consistency as the season progresses. Congratulations to coach Ty Grace for 250 wins as a D1 head coach.
DEAN OF HOOPS — Breaking Down the Game Beyond the Final Score.