WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Hampton University women's basketball team advanced to the semifinals of the 2012 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament on Wednesday, defeating Norfolk State 61-40 in the quarterfinal round at the Joel Memorial Coliseum.

The top-seeded Lady Pirates (24-4), winners of nine straight, will face either No. 4 Coppin State or No. 5 North Carolina A&T on Friday in the semifinal round at 12 p.m.

Hampton has won 13 straight over Norfolk State.

Senior guard Jericka Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas), a First Team All-MEAC selection, led the Lady Pirates with 20 points and four assists. Junior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) added 13 points and seven rebounds, while sophomore forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) chipped in 12 points and seven rebounds.

Norfolk State jumped out to a 6-0 lead at the 16:20 mark of the first half following a pair of Rachel Gordon free throws, with Hampton's first bucket coming at the 15:23 mark on an Avant layup. Six more Norfolk State points gave the Spartans a 12-2 lead with 11:48 left in the first half after Gordon sank a layup.

The Lady Pirates then scored 10 unanswered points to tie the game 12-12 with 8:25 left in the half after Bennett hit a layup. Tyisha Bridges gave the Spartans a 14-12 lead at the 7:40 mark with a layup of her own, but Hampton closed the half on a 13-4 run to take a 25-18 lead into the half.

Jenkins, who gave the Lady Pirates the lead for good at the 7:06 mark in the first half with a free throw, had 15 points at the break.

Hampton opened the second half on an 18-3 run, taking a 45-21 lead with 12:50 to play after an Avant layup. Norfolk State scored the next five points, closing to within 45-26 at the 11:24 mark after a pair of Bridges free throws, but the Spartans would get no closer.

Hampton's largest lead came with 9:52 to play, when Bennett hit a layup to put the Lady Pirates up 52-26.

The Lady Pirates shot 31.1 percent (19-for-61) from the floor and made six of their 21 3-pointers (28.6 percent). Hampton also went 17-for-26 (65.4 percent) from the free throw line. Hampton also held a 44-40 advantage on the glass and turned Norfolk State over 20 times (resulting in 20 points).

Hampton is 23-0 this season when out-rebounding its opponents.

Norfolk State (12-17), the No. 9 seed, shot 32.7 percent (17-for-52) from the floor, but went 0-for-8 from behind the arc – marking the third time this season Hampton, the nation's leader in 3-point field goal percentage defense, held an opponent without a 3-pointer.

Bridges led the Spartans with 12 points.

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.