Game Notes

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Hampton University women's basketball team will face off against Coppin State in the semifinals of the 2012 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament on Friday at 12 p.m. at the Joel Memorial Coliseum.

The top-seeded Lady Pirates (24-4) picked up their ninth straight win on Wednesday with a 61-40 victory over Norfolk State in the quarterfinals. Senior guard Jericka Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas) led the way with 20 points, while junior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) added 13 points and seven rebounds.

Sophomore forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) added 12 points and seven rebounds.

Coppin State (20-11), the No. 4 seed, won its fifth straight game on Thursday, beating No. 5 North Carolina A&T 78-74 in the quarterfinals. Junior forward Leola Spotwood led five Lady Eagles in double figures with 14 points, while senior forward Crystal Whittington and sophomore forward Kyra Coleman each added 13 points.

Junior guard Shawntae Payne chipped in 12 points, and sophomore forward Larrisa Carter poured in 10 points.

Coppin State went 13-17 last season, finishing tied for fourth in the MEAC with a 9-7 record before falling to Hampton in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament. The Lady Eagles, under 13th-year head coach Derek Brown, return all five starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's squad, and Coppin State was picked to finish sixth in the MEAC this season.

Instead, the Lady Eagles finished fourth with a conference mark of 13-3, while also becoming the fourth MEAC school to win 20 games this season – joining Hampton, Florida A&M and Howard.

Senior center Jeanine Manley is the lone Lady Eagle to average double figures in scoring so far this season, pouring in 13.0 points a contest. Whittington is the team's top rebounder, pulling down 7.1 boards a contest.

Coppin State is scoring 63.7 points a game, while giving up 58.3 points a night.

Hampton is 17-15 all-time against Coppin State, having won four of the last six meetings — despite splitting both meetings in the regular season (Hampton won 76-50 in Baltimore, Md. on Jan. 14, before Coppin State won the rematch in overtime, 69-66, on Jan. 28 in Hampton, Va. to hand the Lady Pirates their lone conference loss).

Before Feb. 21, 2009, Coppin State had beaten the Lady Pirates nine straight times.

The Lady Pirates are 276-136 all-time against teams currently in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC). Hampton has a winning record against every MEAC school. In addition, Hampton has won or shared regular-season MEAC titles five times (1998-99, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2010-11, 2011-12) and claimed five MEAC Tournament crowns (2000, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011).

The Lady Pirates have only had two neutral-court games so far this season, defeating Central Michigan 77-51 in the Tulane/DoubleTree Classic in New Orleans, La. on Dec. 28 and beating Norfolk State 61-40 in the MEAC Tournament quarterfinals on Wednesday.

Hampton was 4-1 on neutral courts last season, its lone loss coming in overtime to Kentucky in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. As head coach, David Six is 10-3 on neutral courts — including back-to-back MEAC Tournament titles.

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.