Box Score

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team had little trouble against rival North Carolina A&T on Monday night, cruising past the Lady Aggies 71-36 at the HU Convocation Center.

With the win, Hampton's fourth in a row, the Lady Pirates established a season-low for points allowed and recorded the largest margin of victory so far this season. It was also Hampton's second straight win over the Lady Aggies.

Freshman guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va. ) led the Lady Pirates with a career-high 23 points – 18 of which came in the first half – while junior guard Jericka Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas) added nine points and a team-high eight assists.

Senior forward Quanneisha Perry (Decatur, Ga.) pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds to go along with eight points.

Hampton (12-5, 5-0 MEAC) opened the second half on a 21-6 run, taking a 62-22 lead with 4:14 to play after a breakaway layup by freshman guard Chikilra Goodman (Philadelphia, Pa.). The Lady Pirates, already up by 25 at the half, used their stingy defense to hold the Lady Aggies to just 25.0 percent shooting (14-for-56).

North Carolina A&T (6-9, 3-2 MEAC) made just one of its 11 3-point attempts and turned the ball over 20 times.

The Lady Pirates shot 49.1 percent (28-for-57) from the floor, while also out-rebounding North Carolina A&T 46-36. Hampton recorded 10 steals, compared to just six for the Lady Aggies.

Jaleesa Sams led North Carolina A&T with seven points, all in the first half.

After Sams tied the game at 5-5 at the 18:04 mark of the first half with a 3-pointer, the Lady Pirates responded with a 17-2 run, taking a 22-7 lead at the 11:23 mark with a jumper from Jenkins. Hampton went on to out-score the Lady Aggies 19-9 to close out the half, going up 41-16 at the break after junior forward Melanie Warner (Tallahassee, Fla.) scored on a stickback with one second on the clock.

Hamilton out-scored North Carolina A&T in the first half, pouring in 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting and a 3-for-4 performance behind the arc. The Lady Aggies only managed 16 first-half points, seven of those coming from Sams – despite picking up three fouls.

North Carolina A&T shot just 25.9 percent (7-for-27) in the first half and committed 12 turnovers, which Hampton converted into 20 points. The Lady Pirates shot 51.6 percent (16-for-31) in the first half, hitting four of their five 3-pointers.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Saturday, when they travel to Daytona Beach, Fla. to take on Bethune-Cookman at 2 p.m. 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.