Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team's quest for a fifth straight MEAC Tournament crown starts on Wednesday, when the Lady Pirates take on Howard in the quarterfinal round at 12 p.m. in Norfolk Scope.
 
The top-seeded Lady Pirates (25-4) have won 15 straight games after ending the regular season with a 54-51 win over North Carolina A&T this past Thursday. The win also extended Hampton's streak of 46 straight wins over MEAC foes (including conference tournament games), and it gave the Lady Pirates their second straight undefeated conference season.
 
Freshman guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) was named MEAC Rookie of the Year and Second Team All-MEAC, leading the Lady Pirates and ranking fourth in the conference with 19.0 points per game. Her 2.3 made 3-pointers per game are the second-most in the MEAC.
 
Senior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) was named MEAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season – and it David Six's five years at the helm, the MEAC Defensive Player of the Year award has gone to a Hampton player four times.
 
Bennett, who averages 17.3 points and 8.9 rebounds a game, was also named First Team All-MEAC.
 
Senior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) was named First Team All-MEAC, coming off a regular season in which she ranks second in the MEAC in both assists (4.9 per game) and blocked shots (2.3 per game). She is also third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.2 points a contest.
 
Howard (11-19), the No. 8 seed, advanced to the quarterfinals on Tuesday by beating No. 9 seed North Carolina Central 74-59 to snap a six-game losing streak.
 
The Lady Bison, in their first season under head coach Tennille S. Adams, are led by redshirt-freshman guard Te'Shya Heslip, who is averaging a team-best 13.6 points per game. Sophomore center Victoria Gonzalez is averaging 10.9 points a contest.
 
The Lady Pirates are 28-20 all-time against Howard, and the Lady Pirates have won each of the last 12 meetings — including a regular-season sweep this year (76-64 and 59-52). Howard last defeated Hampton on Dec. 5, 2009 in Washington, D.C., and the Lady Pirates are 5-3 against Howard on neutral courts.
 
Hampton is 310-138 against teams currently in the MEAC — including a 28-20 mark against Howard — and the Lady Pirates have won seven MEAC regular-season titles to go along with seven tournament titles, including each of the last four.
 
Overall, the Lady Pirates have won their last 46 games against MEAC foes, including conference tournament games.
 
The Lady Pirates are 18-9 on neutral courts in Six's tenure, including a 3-0 mark so far this season after a pair of wins in the Cal State Northridge Thanksgiving Classic on Nov. 29-30, as well as a win over Brown on Dec. 29 in the opening game of the Georgia Tech Holiday Invitational.
 
Hampton has won its last seven neutral-court games dating back to last season, and under Six, the Lady Pirates are 12-0 in MEAC Tournament games.
 
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.