Box Score

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team used a strong second half Thursday night at the Convocation Center to win its 2009-2010 season opener, upending The College of William & Mary 71-66.

Hampton (1-0) overcame a sluggish first half to give head coach David Six his first collegiate win, overcoming a 7-0 run from William & Mary to open the second half by using a strong 29-9 run throughout the bulk of the frame to pull off the victory. Sophomore Bernadette Fortune (Virginia Beach, Va.) and senior Whitney Hill (Hampton, Va.) each led the Lady Pirates with 17 points, while sophomore Jericka Jenkins chipped in 15 points on 5-for-16 shooting, including two 3-pointers.

Breanna Jones (Springfield, Va.) pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds in her Hampton debut, while Quanneisha Perry (Decatur, Ga.) added nine boards to her seven points before fouling out with 6:01 to play. Fortune also led the Lady Pirates with eight assists.

The Tribe opened the game on a 6-0 run, starting with a jumper from sophomore guard Taysha Pye. Hampton made its first basket with 16:28 to play in the first half, when Perry scored on a layup to cut the Tribe's lead to 6-2. A 3-pointer from Janine Aldridge with 11:13 to go in the first half gave the Tribe a 15-8 lead, and Taylor Hilton would help extend William & Mary's lead to 13 points, when her layup with 8:53 to go in the first half put the Tribe up 23-10.

William & Mary (1-1) held a 38-32 lead at halftime, thanks to a 13-for-31 (42 percent) shooting performance on the floor. The Tribe also out-rebounded Hampton 29-24 in the opening frame, though the Lady Pirates did force William & Mary into 14 turnovers.

Fortune led the Lady Pirates with 10 points on 4-for-12 shooting in the first half, while Hill had nine points in the opening frame, all of which came in the final eight minutes of the half. Aldridge led the Tribe with eight points in the first half, with Hilton adding seven and Emily Correal pouring in six.

The Lady Pirates shot 26 percent (10-for-38) from the floor in the first half, making just one of seven 3-point attempts. Hampton did shoot 85 percent (11-for-13) from the free throw line in the first half.

For the game, Hampton shot 31.5 percent (23-for-73), while the Tribe shot 32.8 percent (22-for-67). The Lady Pirates were out-rebounded 58-50, though they did force the Tribe into 30 turnovers, scoring 25 points off of them. The Lady Pirates also had 16 fast break points, as opposed to just two for William & Mary.

Jaclyn McKenna led the Tribe with 20 points on 7-for-8 shooting, while Correal had 13 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. McKenna added 11 rebounds for the Tribe.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Sunday, when they take on the Seahawks of UNC-Wilmington at 4 p.m. at the Convocation Center. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.