Game Notes

STARKVILLE, Miss. – The Hampton University women's basketball team will continue its season-opening road trip on Monday, when the Lady Pirates square off against Mississippi State at Humphrey Coliseum at 8 p.m. EST.

The Lady Pirates (1-0) opened the 2012 season on Friday with a 78-41 win over Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Miss. Senior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) led the way with a career-high 26 points to go along with 13 rebounds, while sophomore center Verdine Warner (St. Vincent, Grenadines) added 17 points, a team-high 18 rebounds and four blocks in her Hampton debut.

Junior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) added 17 points and four assists.

The Lady Pirates held Southern Miss to 30.2 percent shooting from the floor and forced 27 turnovers – resulting in 34 points. True to form, Hampton also held a 52-40 rebounding edge on Friday, including a 25-19 advantage on the offensive glass.

Mississippi State (1-0) also won its season opener on Friday, taking a 72-66 win over Houston in Humphrey Coliseum. Sophomore center Martha Alwal led the Bulldogs with 23 points and 18 rebounds, while sophomore guard Kendra Grant added 22 points.

The Bulldogs held a 65-39 edge in rebounding and turned the ball over 26 times.

The Bulldogs went 14-16 overall last season, finishing 10th in the SEC with a mark of 4-12 in conference play. Mississippi State returns two starters and nine letterwinners from last year's squad. Mississippi State, in its first season under head coach Vic Schaefer, was picked to finish 11th in the SEC this season.

Grant is the Bulldogs' top returning scorer from last season, having averaged 7.3 points per game in 2011-12, while Alwal, listed at 6-foot-4, grabbed a team-high 7.2 rebounds per contest last season.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Hampton and Mississippi State.

The Lady Pirates are 1-8 all-time against teams in the SEC, with their lone win coming against Florida, 69-54, during the 2010-11 season. Hampton is 0-2 against Alabama; 0-1 against Arkansas; 1-2 against Florida; 0-1 against Georgia; 0-1 against Kentucky; and 0-1 against Vanderbilt.

Monday's game will be the first of three match-ups against SEC teams this season for the Lady Pirates; Hampton will play host to LSU on Friday, and the Lady Pirates will also take on South Carolina as part of the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam.

The Lady Pirates faced one SEC foe last season, falling 63-46 at Florida.

Under head coach David Six, the Lady Pirates are 31-13 in road games – including a 13-3 mark last season. Hampton's success on the road has been a large part of the team's recent dominance in the MEAC; the Lady Pirates were a perfect 8-0 in road conference games last season.

That road success continued on Friday with Hampton's 78-41 win at Southern Miss.

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.