NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team used suffocating defense on Wednesday, upending Delaware State 63-28 in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament at the Norfolk Scope Arena.

The top-seeded Lady Pirates (26-5) have won 17 straight games, extending their Div. I program record winning streak. Hampton will face either No. 5 Coppin State or No. 4 South Carolina State in Friday's semifinal round at 12 p.m.

Coppin State and South Carolina State will play their quarterfinal game on Thursday at 2:30 p.m.

Senior guard Olivia Allen (Kildeer, Ill.) and junior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) each had a team-high 13 points for the Lady Pirates, while senior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.), the MEAC Player of the Year, added 11 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.

Hampton matched its season low in points allowed, and since giving up 56 points to Delaware State on Feb. 11, the Lady Pirates are giving up just 36.4 points per game.

Hampton's last three opponents have not scored more than 30 points.

Keyanna Tate hit a layup with 15:44 left in the first half to tie the game at 4-4, but the Lady Pirates answered with a 15-0 run, taking a 17-4 lead at the 10:11 mark after a free throw from sophomore guard Kenia Cole (Burtonsville, Md.).

That run also featured back-to-back 3-pointers from Allen.

The run grew to 25-4 when Allen hit three free throws with 4:25 left in the first half, giving Hampton a 29-8 lead.

Tasia Bristow hit a jumper at the 3:18 mark to cut Hampton's lead to 31-12, but the Lady Pirates scored the last six points of the half and went into the locker room with a 37-12 lead.

Hampton scored 20 points off of 17 Delaware State turnovers in the first half.

Jade Washington cut Hampton's lead to 39-16 with 15:43 left in the second half when she sank a layup, but that was as close as the Lady Hornets would get; in fact, the Lady Pirates answered that basket with an 11-1 run, taking a 50-17 lead at the 10:49 mark after a layup from junior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.).

Hampton never led by fewer than 30 from that point forward, and the Lady Pirates' largest lead came at the 4:11 mark, when senior forward Ariel Phelps (Virginia Beach, Va.) sank a layup to give the Lady Pirates a 62-25 lead.

The Lady Pirates shot 39.2 percent (20-for-51) from the floor and hit three of their 11 3-pointers (27.3 percent). Hampton was also 20-for-28 (71.4 percent) at the free throw line. The Lady Pirates also turned 27 Delaware State turnovers into 26 points.

Delaware State (10-21) shot just 25.5 percent (13-for-51) from the floor and missed all four 3-point attempts. The Lady Hornets were also just 2-for-8 from the free throw line.

Hawkins led Delaware State 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.