Game Notes

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Hampton University women's basketball team will play its third straight road game to open the season on Tuesday, taking on the University of Florida at 7 p.m. at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.

The game will be rematch of last year's meeting, when the Lady Pirates defeated Florida 69-54 at the H Convocation Center on Dec. 10 for their first win over a Southeastern Conference program.

The Lady Pirates (2-0) are coming off a 68-55 win at Jacksonville on Saturday, when senior guard Jericka Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas) led four players in double figures with 17 points. Junior forward Ariel Phelps (Virginia Beach, Va.) and sophomore forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) each recorded double-doubles; Phelps had 12 points and 11 rebounds, while Bennett added 11 points and 11 boards.

Senior forward Melanie Warner (Tallahassee, Fla.) led the way with 15 rebounds.

Dating back to Nov. 29, 2010, when Hampton defeated Radford 52-51, the Lady Pirates have won 26 of their last 29 games, including Saturday's 68-55 win at Jacksonville, and they have not lost back-to-back games since losing four straight from Nov. 15-27 of last season.

Florida (2-1) is coming off a 72-58 upset win over No. 21/19 Florida State at home on Thursday. Four Gators scored in double figures, led by junior forward Jennifer George, who poured in 18 points – 14 of which came in the second half.

The Gators finished the 2010-11 season with a 20-15 record, coming in eighth in the SEC with a 7-9 conference mark. Florida, in its fifth season under head coach Amanda Butler, returns all five starters and 11 letter-winners from a squad that advanced to the third round of the WNIT last season.

Redshirt-senior guard Jordan Jones leads the team in scoring through three games this season, pouring in 14.7 points per contest, while George is second on the team with 13.0 points a game. Senior guard Deana Allen is the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 6.0 boards a game.

The Gators are averaging 69.7 points a game on offense, while giving up 61.3 points a night.

The all-time series between Hampton and Florida is tied 1-1, after the Lady Pirates beat the Gators 69-54 last season at the HU Convocation Center for their first-ever win over an SEC school. Florida won the first-ever meeting 92-55 on Dec. 30, 1997 in Gainesville, Fla.

Hampton is 1-7 all-time against teams from the Southeastern Conference. The Lady Pirates are 0-2 against Alabama; 0-1 against Arkansas; 1-1 against Florida; 0-1 against Georgia; 0-1 against Kentucky; and 0-1 against Vanderbilt.

Hampton last faced an SEC team in the first round of the NCAA Tournament last season, falling 66-62 in overtime to No. 4 seed Kentucky in Albuquerque, N.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.