Game Notes

HARRISONBURG, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team will open the 2010-11 season against James Madison at the JMU Convocation Center at 7 p.m. on Friday in the first round of the Preseason WNIT.

The Lady Pirates, in their second season under head coach David Six, will look to defend their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) crown. After going 20-12 in 2009-10 and finishing second in the conference with a 12-4 mark, Hampton went on to win its first MEAC tournament title since 2004, before taking on nationally-ranked Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The Lady Pirates have been selected to win the MEAC again this season, and senior forward Quanneisha Perry (Decatur, Ga.) was named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year.

The Lady Pirates are 0-2 all-time against James Madison, with the last meeting between these two teams coming on Dec. 9, 2006. That year, the Dukes came into the HU Convocation Center and beat the Lady Pirates 54-45. The first-ever meeting between these two teams came on Dec. 29, 2005, when James Madison beat Hampton 68-50 in the JMU Convocation Center.

The Lady Pirates closed out the 2009-10 season winning 17 of their last 21 games, taking the MEAC Tournament crown in the process with a 57-46 win over South Carolina State. At one point during conference play, the Lady Pirates eight straight games. JMU won eight of its last nine games to close out last season, including a 67-53 win over Old Dominion in the CAA title game.

The Dukes return four starters from a squad that went 26-7 last season and won the CAA tournament title before falling to Temple in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. The headliner of that foursome is senior guard Dawn Evans, a two-time First Team All-CAA player who averaged 24.6 points per game last season. Her performance last season was enough to net Evans an All-America honorable mention, and she was runner-up in CAA Player of the Year voting last season.

Evans will be joined by sophomore guard Tarik Hislop, who averaged 10.3 points a game last year and earned All-Rookie honors, and senior forward Jalissa Taylor, who averaged a team-high 6.6 rebounds a contest in 2009-10. Sophomore guard/forward Nikkie Newman, who averaged 2.9 points and 4.9 rebounds a game last season, also returns.

Among the newcomers this season will be freshman guard Debbie Smith, who starred for Hampton High School and was an All-Region selection, as well as Peninsula District Player of the Year in 2010. As a senior, Smith averaged 21.2 points and 6.2 rebounds per game.

Hampton is 29-36 all-time against teams in the Colonial Athletic Association. The Lady Pirates' only winning record against CAA teams comes against a team no longer in the conference; Hampton went 10-3 against Richmond when the Spiders were in the league. Among teams currently in the CAA, the Lady Pirates are 5-5 against George Mason, 1-1 against Georgia State, 10-11 against William & Mary, 2-6 against Virginia Commonwealth, 1-2 against UNC-Wilmington, 0-2 against James Madison, 0-1 against Towson and 0-5 against Old Dominion. Six is 2-1 in his head coaching career against CAA teams, having defeated William & Mary and UNC-Wilmington last season and losing to Old Dominion.

This year's Preseason WNIT features one of the strongest fields in recent memory, with 14 of the 16 teams competing this year coming off postseason play in 2009-10. Seven of those teams – Austin Peay, Hampton, James Madison, Lamar, South Dakota State, St. Francis (Pa.) and Utah Valley – won their conference championships last season. Other teams to compete in the postseason last year in this year's field are Charlotte, DePaul, Florida, Iona, Missouri State, Purdue and Toledo.

The Preseason WNIT features a three-game guarantee format. The event opens Nov. 12-13 with first-round games. Second-round games will be played Nov. 14-15; semifinals will be Nov. 17-18; and the championship is set for Sunday, Nov. 21. Teams that lose in the first two rounds will play consolation games on the second weekend, Nov. 19-20. All games are hosted by participating schools, and sites are announced by the end of the preceding round.

Live stats for Friday's contest between Hampton and James Madison will be available through JMU's athletic website at www.jmusports.com. 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.