WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Hampton University women's basketball team dominated the glass on Friday, upending Coppin State 64-43 in the semifinal round of the 2012 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament at the Joel Memorial Coliseum.

The top-seeded Lady Pirates (25-4) have won 10 straight games and avenged their lone conference loss of the regular season. Hampton pulled down a season-high 62 rebounds – including 30 on the offensive end – and beat Coppin State on the glass 62-28.

Hampton has now advanced to four straight MEAC Tournament championship games. The last MEAC school to win three MEAC Tournament titles is Howard, which won the tournament in 1996, 1997 and 1998.

Hampton will take on the winner of No. 2 Howard/No. 3 Florida A&M on Saturday at 4 p.m. The title game will be televised live on ESPNU.

Senior guard Jericka Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas) and sophomore forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) each had 14 points to lead the Lady Pirates, while Bennett also had a career-high 13 rebounds. Junior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) added 12 points and 13 rebounds.

Jenkins also had seven assists and six rebounds.

Coppin State held an early 2-0 lead after a Larrisa Carter layup at the 19:14 mark, but the Lady Pirates answered with a 14-3 run to take a 14-5 lead with 11:33 left in the first half following a layup from senior center Sherena Abercrumbia (Dallas, Texas).

Kyra Coleman brought Coppin State within seven, 14-7, with a jumper at the 10:28 mark, but a 7-2 Hampton run put the Lady Pirates up 21-9 at the 7:46 mark after Jenkins hit a pair of free throws.

Bennett's jumper with 17 seconds left in the half capped a 17-7 run and gave the Lady Pirates a 31-14 lead heading into the half. Coppin State hit just five first-half field goals and shot 19.2 percent in the opening 20 minutes.

A 10-4 run to open the second half put the Lady Pirates up 41-18 after sophomore guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) sank a layup with 14:39 left to play.

Leola Spotwood capped a 7-2 Coppin State run with a 3-pointer at the 11:54 mark to cut Hampton's lead to 43-25, but that was the closest the Lady Eagles would get. The Lady Pirates answered with a 15-4 run to take a 58-29 lead with 6:43 to play after a 3-pointer from senior guard Choicetta McMillian (Fairfield, Texas).

McMillian finished with nine points on 3-for-6 shooting from behind the arc.

The Lady Pirates shot 31.0 percent (22-for-71) from the floor and made five of their 14 3-pointers (35.7 percent). Hampton also shot 65.2 percent (15-for-23) from the free throw line. The Lady Pirates held a 30-18 edge in points in the paint, and Hampton scored 24 second-chance points to just one for Coppin State.

Hampton also scored 16 points off 22 Coppin State turnovers.

No. 4 seed Coppin State (20-12) shot 30.4 percent (14-for-46) from the floor and made just one of its eight 3-pointers. The Lady Eagles also went just 14-for-23 (60.9 percent) from the free throw line.

Jeanine Manley led the Lady Eagles with 13 points off the bench, while Spotwood added 11 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.