HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team won its fourth straight game on Monday, beating conference newcomer Savannah State 59-40 at the HU Convocation Center.

The Lady Pirates (6-1, 2-0 MEAC) have won 12 straight home games dating back to last season.

Senior guard Choicetta McMillian (Fairfield, Texas) led all scorers with 22 points, going 7-for-16 from the field and 6-for-11 from 3-point range. It was her third 20-point effort in the last four games. Senior forward Melanie Warner (Tallahassee, Fla.), the reigning MEAC Player of the Week, added 12 points and eight rebounds.

Junior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) pulled down a team-high 13 rebounds, while senior guard Jericka Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas) dished out eight assists. Junior forward Ariel Phelps (Virginia Beach, Va.) blocked a career-high four shots.

The Lady Pirates never trailed, jumping out to a 7-2 lead after a Warner jumper at the 15:46 mark. A layup from Phelps with 9:10 left in the half gave Hampton a 16-7 lead, and Savannah State would get no closer than within five – 22-17 at the 3:35 mark after an Ezinne Kalu 3-pointer.

Jenkins hit a pair of free throws with 25 seconds left in the half to send the Lady Pirates into the locker room with a 32-22 lead.

McMillian scored 13 points in the first half to lead all scorers.

Hampton opened the second half on a 12-0 run, going up 44-22 with 14:06 to play after a Jenkins jumper. Savannah State did not hit a field goal in the second half until Jasmine Kirkland's jumper at the 13:36 mark.

The Lady Pirates led by as many as 28, going up 56-28 with 6:56 to play after a transition layup from sophomore guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.).

From there, the gap never shrank beyond 19 points.

The Lady Pirates shot 33.3 percent (21-for-63) from the floor, while also hitting eight of their 18 3-pointers – six of which came from McMillian. Hampton also had a season-low eight turnovers, and the Lady Pirates held a 40-32 rebounding advantage.

Savannah State shot 37.2 percent (16-for-43) from the field, and was held to just eight field goals in the second half. The Tigers turned the ball over 18 times, resulting in 21 Hampton points.

Kalu led Savannah State (4-4, 0-2 MEAC) with 15 points.

The Lady Pirates will conclude their home stand on Saturday, when they take on Maryland Baltimore County at the HU Convocation Center at 6 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.