BLACKSBURG, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team lost a defensive struggle at Cassell Coliseum on Sunday afternoon, as Virginia Tech emerged with a 55-45 win.

The Lady Pirates (9-5) dropped their first road game of the season.

Junior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) led the Lady Pirates with 17 points, hitting four of her seven 3-pointers. Senior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) posted her seventh double-double of the season with 12 points and 14 rebounds.

The Lady Pirates jumped out to an 8-4 lead with 13:38 left in the first half after Avant converted a 3-point play. The Hokies fought back to tie the game at 8-8 with 9:36 left in the half after a basket from Lauren Evans.

But Bennett put Hampton back up 11-8 with a 3-pointer at the 8:37 mark.

Virginia Tech went 8:48 without a field goal in the first half, until Alyssa Fenyn hit a jumper with 48 seconds left in the frame. The Lady Pirates led 17-10 at the break, thanks in large part to holding the Hokies to 16.0 percent shooting (4-for-25) from the floor.

The Hokies opened the second half on a 7-0 run, tying the game at 17-17 with 17:31 left to play after a 3-pointer from Lauren Evans. Nia Evans then gave Virginia Tech a 19-17 lead at the 14:07 mark with a pair of free throws.

After redshirt-freshman forward Brielle Ward (Baltimore, Md.) tied the game at 19-19 with a layup at the 13:48 mark, the Hokies went on a 5-0 run to take a 24-19 lead after a 3-point play from Monet Tellier with 12:01 left to play.

The Hokies opened the second half on a 16-2 run, before later expanding the lead to 30-21 with 8:08 to play after a layup from Tellier.

A pair of Fenyn free throws at the 4:31 mark gave the Hokies a 38-23 lead.

Virginia Tech grew its lead to 45-29 with 2:05 to play after a pair of free throws from Tellier.

The Lady Pirates shot 29.3 percent (17-for-58) from the floor and made just five of their 13 free throws. Both teams had 38 rebounds, and the Lady Pirates held an 18-13 edge on the offensive glass.

Virginia Tech shot 33.3 percent (16-for-48) from the floor and only turned the ball over 14 times. The Hokies out-scored the Lady Pirates 45-28 in the second half, rebounding from a 10-point effort in the opening 20 minutes.

Tellier led the Hokies (7-5) with 14 points, while Fenyn added 11 points.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Wednesday, when they return to the HU Convocation Center to take on Boston College at 7 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.