Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team will begin its quest for a fourth straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament title on Wednesday, taking on Delaware State at 12 p.m. in the quarterfinal round at Norfolk Scope.

The top-seeded Lady Pirates (25-5) come in with a 16-game winning streak after ending the regular season with a 51-30 win over North Carolina Central on Thursday. Senior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.), the MEAC Player of the Year, had 22 points and 10 rebounds for her 19th double-double of the season.

Delaware State (10-20), the No. 9 seed, beat Bethune-Cookman 55-44 on Tuesday in the first round of the MEAC Tournament. Sophomore wing Tierra Hawkins led the Lady Hornets with 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Delaware State, in its first year under head coach Tamika Louis, returns all five starters and 11 letterwinners from last season, and the Lady Hornets were chosen to finish 11th in the MEAC this year – before finishing ninth with a 6-10 mark.

Hawkins leads the Lady Hornets in both scoring and rebounding, averaging 17.2 points and 7.5 rebounds per game so far this season. Junior guard Tasia Bristow is averaging 11.9 points per game.

Delaware State is averaging 57.1 points per game on offense, while giving up 63.9 points a night.

Hampton is 30-12 all-time against Delaware State, and the Lady Pirates have won the last 10 meetings — including both meetings in this regular season Overall, Hampton has won 14 of the last 15 meetings. The Lady Pirates are 3-0 against Delaware State on neutral courts.

Since joining the MEAC in 1995-96, the Lady Pirates have won six regular-season and six tournament titles — including each of the last three under head coach David Six, who was named MEAC Coach of the Year for the second time.

Hampton has a winning record against every MEAC team.

Hampton's first regular-season MEAC title came in 1998-99, and the Lady Pirates first won the MEAC Tournament, and its corresponding NCAA bid, in 2000.

Howard is the only MEAC school to ever win four straight tournament crowns, doing so from 1987-90.

Under Six, the Lady Pirates are 13-8 on neutral courts over the past three-plus seasons — including a 3-2 record in such games last season. The Lady Pirates won all three MEAC Tournament games last season, and also beat Central Michigan on a neutral court.

The Lady Pirates are 1-4 on neutral courts this season, with that win coming in the Toledo Invite on Dec. 21, when Hampton defeated Evansville 64-45.

Live stats and streaming video will available at www.meachoops.com.

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.