Box Score

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The Hampton University women's basketball team lost its first game of the season on Tuesday, as the University of Florida used a strong second half to win 63-46 at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center.

Senior guard Jericka Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas) led the Lady Pirates with 15 points, despite shooting just 4-for-14 from the floor; she did go 3-for-4 behind the arc. Junior forward Ariel Phelps (Virginia Beach, Va.) had a team-high nine rebounds – eight on the offensive end.

Hampton (2-1) jumped out to a 12-2 lead following a jumper from sophomore forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) with 12:19 left in the first half. Florida went almost six minutes between field goals in the middle of the first half, and the Lady Pirates held a 16-6 lead with 6:47 left in the half after Jenkins buried a jumper.

The Gators (3-1) then scored nine unanswered points to pull within one, 16-15, after a free throw from Jennifer George, before Bennett converted a layup to put Hampton back up by three.

But Florida fired back, tying the game at 20-20 with 26 seconds left in the half after a jumper from Ndidi Madu.

The Gators shot just 25.0 percent (8-for-32) in the first half and committed eight turnovers.

Florida jumped out to a 24-20 lead to open the second half after free throws from Jaterra Bonds, and that lead grew to 30-22 at the 17:21 mark after a layup from George. She added another layup at the 13:38 mark to put the Gators up 34-25.

Offensive struggles continued for both teams, as the Gators held a 38-27 lead with 11:48 to play after another layup from George. A layup from Phelps with 10:34 left to play cut that lead to seven, 38-31, but that was the closest the Lady Pirates would get.

Florida, which shot 43.8 percent (14-for-32) from the floor in the second half, went on a 10-0 run, taking a 48-31 lead with 6:18 remaining after a layup from Azania Stewart.

The Lady Pirates shot just 29.1 percent (16-for-55) from the floor, while making four of 11 3-pointers. Hampton also turned the ball over 19 times to just 12 for Florida.

The Gators shot 34.4 percent (22-for-64) from the floor and out-rebounded the Lady Pirates 53-39 – the first time this season Hampton has been out-rebounded. Florida overcame a poor night at the free throw line – 18-for-35 (51.4 percent) – and behind the arc – 1-for-15.

Bonds led Florida with 15 points, while George added 13 points and a team-high 14 rebounds.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Saturday, when they head to Fort Wayne, Ind. To take on Indiana-Purdue Fort Wayne at 2 p.m. EST. 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.