HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team opened its 2012-13 home slate in style on Friday, defeating Louisiana State 67-58 in front of a raucous crowd at the HU Convocation Center.

It was Hampton's second straight win over an SEC school; the Lady Pirates defeated Mississippi State 56-48 on Monday in Starkville, Miss. It was also the program's second straight home win over an SEC school, as Hampton defeated Florida at the Convocation Center 69-54 on Dec. 10, 2010.

During his tenure at Hampton, head coach David Six is 3-2 against the SEC.

Senior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) led the Lady Pirates (3-0) with 19 points and 10 rebounds – recording her third double-double of the season and her eighth in the last 12 games dating back to last season.

Junior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) added 16 points on 5-for-10 shooting and nine rebounds, while junior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) had a career-high 10 assists and four blocks to go along with nine points.

Senior guard Olivia Allen (Kildeer, Ill.) added a career-high eight points off the bench.

LSU led 6-2 with 17:00 left in the first half after a layup from Theresa Plaisance, but the Lady Pirates answered with an Avant layup at the 16:26 mark to kick off a 19-0 Hampton run. Hamilton punctuated that run with a 3-pointer on the wing with 11:02 left in the first half to put the Lady Pirates up 21-6.

The Lady Tigers went 6:18 in the first half without scoring, before Plaisance hit a layup with 10:42 left in the half to cut Hampton's lead to 21-8. Hampton then scored four straight, going up 25-8 at the 9:15 mark after an Avant jumper.

Bennett drained a trey with 1:17 left in the first half to give Hampton a 35-16 lead, its largest in the opening 20 minutes. The Lady Pirates led 35-18 at the half.

Senior forward Ariel Phelps (Virginia Beach, Va.) gave the Lady Pirates a 20-point lead, 45-25, with a layup with 12:32 left in the second half, and she later added a layup at the 9:48 mark to give the Lady Pirates a 49-28 edge.

After Avant hit a pair of free throws with 6:48 to play to give Hampton a 56-36 lead, LSU answered with seven unanswered points, cutting the lead to 56-43 with 5:22 to play on two Plaisance free throws.

The Lady Tigers tried on several occasions to close the gap in the waning minutes, but Avant and Bennett made a combined five straight free throws down the stretch to ice the game – despite Bianca Lutley's 3-pointer with six seconds to play.

The Lady Pirates shot 35.6 percent (21-for-59) from the floor – including a 40.0-percent clip in the first half, when Hampton was 14-for-35 from the floor. LSU actually held a 42-41 edge on the glass, but Hampton forced the Lady Tigers into 22 turnovers, converting them into 21 points.

Hampton has forced all three opponents so far this season into at least 20 turnovers; opponents are averaging 24.0 turnovers a game against the Lady Pirates.

Hampton also made a season-high six 3-pointers and went a season-best 79.2 percent (19-for-24) from the free throw line.

LSU shot just 30.9 percent (17-for-55) from the floor.

Plaisance led LSU (1-1) with 18 points and 11 rebounds.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Sunday, when they welcome Chicago State to the HU Convocation Center for a 4 p.m. tip. 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.