Game Notes

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The Hampton University women's basketball team will compete in the consolation round of the Preseason WNIT on Friday, when they head to Halton Arena to take on the 49ers of UNC Charlotte at 7 p.m.

The Lady Pirates (1-1), in their second season under head coach David Six, dropped their second-round Preseason WNIT game to South Dakota State Tuesday night, as the Jackrabbits beat Hampton 76-64 in Frost Arena in Brookings, S.D. Junior guard Choicetta McMillian (Fairfield, Texas) led three Lady Pirates in double figures with a career-high 20 points, going 5-for-10 from 3-point range, while junior forward Melanie Warner (Tallahassee, Fla.) added 15 points and senior forward Quanneisha Perry (Decatur, Ga.) scored 10.

After opening the Preseason WNIT with a 72-40 win over Iona, Charlotte (1-1) fell 76-70 to Florida in Gainesville, Fla. on Monday. Junior guard Epiphany Woodson led the 49ers with a career-high 23 points, while Kendra Holmes added 13 points and Jennifer Hailey pulled down a career-high 13 rebounds to go with nine points.

Hampton is 0-2 all-time against Charlotte; the 49ers beat the Lady Pirates at the HU Convocation Center 69-46 on Nov. 18, 2008, and Charlotte also beat Hampton 72-42 in Charlotte, N.C. on Nov. 21, 2007.

The 49ers, coming off eight straight postseason appearances, were picked to finish fourth in the Atlantic 10 this season, and they return seven letterwinners and two starters from a team that won 18 games in 2009-10 and advanced to the second round of the Postseason WNIT. Senior guard Shannon McCallum, a Second Team All-A-10 selection last season, was named to the Preseason A-10 All-Defensive Team.

McCallum led the team in scoring (14.2 ppg), rebounding (7.3 rpg), steals (80) and blocked shots (30) last season, while also becoming the 18th player in program history last season to reach 1,000 career points. She ranked in the top eight in the conference in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and blocks.

So far this season, the Lady Pirates are 1-1 on the road, having defeated James Madison 69-64 Friday night in the JMU Convocation Center in the first round of the Preseason WNIT before falling 76-64 Monday night at South Dakota State. Six is 7-8 on the road for his career as a head coach.

Dating back to last season, the Lady Pirates have won 18 of their last 23 games, taking the MEAC Tournament crown in the process last season with a 57-46 win over South Carolina State. At one point during conference play in 2009-10, the Lady Pirates eight straight games. Charlotte has won four of its last seven games dating back to last season, including a 74-60 win over Gardner-Webb in the Postseason WNIT.

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 Charlotte will be available through the 49ers' athletic website at www.charlotte49ers.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.