Games Notes

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. -- The No. 2 seed Lady Pirates (19-11, 12-4 MEAC) will return to action on Saturday, when they face the No. 8 seed South Carolina State Bulldogs (14-18, 5-11 MEAC) at 5 p.m. at the L. Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the MEAC Championship Game.

The Lady Pirates defeated the Lady Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman 58-38 in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament on Friday afternoon. Quanneisha Perry (Decatur, Ga.) led all scorers with 19 points and 11 rebounds for her 12th double-double of the season, while Melanie Warner (Tallahassee, Fla.) had 16 points, and Bernadette Fortune (Virginia Beach, Va.) contributed 12 points and four assists.

A wild and enjoyable ride continued for eighth-seed South Carolina State Friday with a 63-50 victory over fourth-seeded Howard in the semifinals.

The Lady Pirates were in the MEAC title game last year, but lost to the Lady Aggies of North Carolina A&T 76-54 on March 14, 2009. The last time Hampton won the MEAC was March 13, 2004 at the Richmond Coliseum, when they beat Delaware State 65-50.

The Lady Pirates are 21-10 all-time against South Carolina State. Hampton has won six of the last seven meetings against the Lady Bulldogs, including this season 67-47 win at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center on Feb. 6, 2010. The Lady Bulldogs' only victory in that span came on Feb. 16, 2008, when they won 64-61.

The Lady Bulldogs are the Cinderella team of this MEAC Tournament, beating the powerhouse North Carolina A&T in quarterfinals and Howard in the semi-finals. Coach by Doug Robertson, the team is led by Second Team All-MEAC selection Sophilia Hipps and Wylie who are leading the Lady Bulldogs in scoring with 14.5 points per contest. Freshman Paris Alston is leading the team in rebounds with 5.8 per game.

The Lady Bulldogs are averaging 63 points per game, but are allowing their opponents to score 67.9 per contest. South Carolina State is averaging 37.1 boards a game, while their opponents are averaging 37.4 per contest.

The Lady Pirates have won 13 out of the last 14 games, beating their opponents by an average of 21 points per game. South Carolina State has won 6 out of the last seven games.

For more information on the MEAC Championships, please visit www.meachoops.com. Lady Pirates basketball games can be heard live on WHOV 88.1 FM, with Shemar Woods and Ron Pinkney calling all the action. For more information on Hampton University women's basketball, please call Derrick Coles, Assistant Sports Information Director, at (757) 727-5906, or visit the official Pirates website at http://www.hamptonpirates.com.