NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team used a hot first half to roll to a 68-46 win over rival Norfolk State at Echols Hall on Saturday afternoon.

The Lady Pirates (18-4, 10-1 MEAC) picked up their third straight win overall, their fifth straight road win and their 12th straight win over the Spartans.

Senior guard Choicetta McMillian (Fairfield, Texas) led the Lady Pirates with 28 points behind a career-high eight 3-pointers, while senior forward Melanie Warner (Tallahassee, Fla.) added 21 points and a r third double-double of the season.

Senior guard Jericka Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas) added 11 assists for her 13h straight game with at least six assists. She is now averaging 8.0 assists per game.

After Tyisha Bridges cut Hampton's early lead to 8-6 with 17:05 left in the first half, the Lady Pirates went on a 15-5 run to take a 23-11 lead at the 11:08 mark after McMillian drained one of her five first-half treys.

Batavia Owens answered with a layup at the 10:32 mark to cut Hampton's lead to 10, but the Lady Pirates answered with 10 unanswered points, going up 33-13 with 7:15 left in the first half when McMillian hit another 3-pointer.

Hampton led 37-23 at the half, thanks largely to a 13-for-32 effort (40.6 percent) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. Eight of the Lady Pirates' 11 3-pointers also came in the first half.

Norfolk State opened the second half with four straight points to cut Hampton's lead to eight, 37-29, with 17:13 to play after Rachel Gordon hit a pair of free throws. Hampton then scored six straight to go up 43-29 at the 13:26 mark on a layup from sophomore guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.).

Rae Corbo again pulled the Spartans within nine, cutting Hampton's lead to 49-40 with 7:28 to play with a layup, but the Lady Pirates scored 13 unanswered points and took a 62-40 lead with 4:37 to play on a Warner layup.

From there, the Spartans couldn't get any closer than within 18 points.

The Lady Pirates shot 36.9 percent (24-for-65) from the floor on the night, while also making 11 of their 27 3-pointers (40.7 percent). Hampton also shot 81.8 percent (9-for-11) from the free throw line and held a 37-30 edge on the boards.

Hampton also scored 21 points off 23 Norfolk State turnovers.

The Spartans (9-14, 4-8 MEAC) shot 43.9 percent (18-for-41) from the floor, but made just one of their five 3-pointers – marking the eighth time this season the Lady Pirates have held an opponent to just one trey.

Bridges led Norfolk State with 11 points.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Saturday, when they return to the HU Convocation Center to take on Maryland Eastern Shore at 4 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.