Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team will open its MEAC title defense in the quarterfinals of the conference tournament on Wednesday, taking on No. 8 seed Maryland Eastern Shore at 12 p.m. in Norfolk Scope Arena.
 
Live Video: ESPN3.
Radio: WHOV 88.1 FM.
 
Last Time Out: The Lady Pirates (18-11) picked up their eighth straight win on Thursday, beating Norfolk State 64-49 to claim their fifth straight MEAC regular-season title. Freshman forward Kaylah Lupoe (Phoenix, Ariz.) had 20 points to lead Hampton, recording her third straight 20-point effort, while sophomore guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) added 13 points and junior guard Ryan Jordan (Manassas, Va.) poured in 10 points.
 
The Opponent: UMES (12-16), in its 11th season under head coach Fred Batchelor, advanced to the quarterfinals by beating North Carolina Central 67-47 on Tuesday. Jessica Long leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.4 points per game, while MEAC Defensive Player of the Year Alexis Udoji is averaging 10.1 points and 8.1 rebounds per contest.
   
The Series: The Lady Pirates are 36-6 all-time against Maryland Eastern Shore, and Hampton has won each of the last 12 meetings — including a 71-43 win at the HU Convocation Center on Feb. 7. Overall, the Lady Pirates are 5-0 against UMES on neutral courts.
 
Lady Pirates Against the MEAC: Hampton is 327-140 against teams currently in the MEAC — including a 36-6 mark against UMES — and the Lady Pirates have won eight MEAC regular-season titles to go along with eight tournament titles, including each of the last five. Overall, the Lady Pirates had won their last 54 games against MEAC foes prior to a loss at Savannah State on Jan. 24.
   
Lady Pirates on Neutral Courts: The Lady Pirates are 2-0 on neutral courts so far this season, thanks to wins over Bowling Green and Auburn in the FIU Sun & Fun Classic on Dec. 29-30. During head coach David Six's tenure, Hampton is a combined 24-10 on neutral courts — including a 6-1 mark last season. Overall, the Lady Pirates have won eight of their last nine games on neutral courts.
   
Lady Pirates Picked to Finish Second: Hampton has been picked to finish second in the MEAC this season in a preseason poll voted on by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. North Carolina A&T, the 2013-14 MEAC runners-up, were chosen to win the conference this season. Hampton won its fifth straight MEAC regular-season title, while Savannah State came in second and North Carolina A&T came in third.
 
Tate-DeFreitas, Cole Honored: Tate-DeFreitas was named Preseason First Team All-MEAC by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, while senior guard Kenia Cole (Silver Spring, Md.) was named Preseason Third Team All-MEAC. It was yet another honor for Tate-DeFreitas, the 2013-14 MEAC Rookie of the Year, Second Team All-MEAC selection, VaSID Rookie of the Year, and VaSID Second Team All-State selection.
 
Six Chasing History: In five-plus seasons with the Lady Pirates, Six has won 145 games, making him the program's all-time winningest coach at the Div. I level – surpassing Patricia Cage-Bibbs. The record-breaking win came at Penn on Dec. 5.
 
Lady Pirates Against Power Conferences: In Six's five-plus seasons at the helm, the Lady Pirates have enjoyed success against the six so-called "power conferences:" the ACC, Big East, Big Ten, Big XII, Pac-12, and SEC. After a 44-42 win over Auburn on Dec. 30, the Lady Pirates are 9-17 against teams in these six conferences — including a 2-3 mark last season.
 
Tate-DeFreitas MEAC Player of the Year: After being named the MEAC Rookie of the Year last season, Tate-DeFreitas has been named the MEAC Player of the Year. She is the second Hampton player in the last three years to be given the honor (Keiara Avant, 2012-13), and Tate-DeFretias leads the MEAC in scoring — and ranks 11th in the nation — with 22.0 points per contest. The five-time MEAC Player of the Week has scored 20 or more points in nine of her last 10 games, including a career-high 39 at Howard on Feb. 28. Tate-DeFreitas eclipsed the 1,000-point mark on Jan. 26 with a 37-point effort at South Carolina State.
 
Ward Crashed the Glass: The Lady Pirates played 33 games in 2013-14, and in 13 of those games, redshirt junior forward Brielle Ward (Baltimore, Md.) grabbed double-digit rebounds — including a school-record 23 against Virginia Tech on Jan. 1. She was second on the team with 8.3 rebounds per game (fourth in the MEAC), and she pulled down 11 boards in a loss at UC Santa Barbara on Nov. 26. She also grabbed 15 rebounds against North Carolina A&T, 13 rebounds at Drexel on Dec. 18, as well as 12 each against Kansas State and Delaware State. She was key in the Lady Pirates' MEAC Tournament championship game against Coppin State, grabbing 10 rebounds and scoring 10 points for her lone double-double of the season.
 
Cole Dishing it Out: Cole, who was a Preseason Third Team All-MEAC selection, currently ranks second in the MEAC in both assist/turnover ratio and assists. In her last 21 games of 2013-14, Cole averaged 13.0 points per contest — including her career-best 30-point effort against Virginia Tech on Jan. 1. Cole also had 19 points against Brown on Dec. 29, and in her last 21 games, Cole is 49-for-125 (.392) from 3-point range — and 83-for-210 (.395) from the floor.
 
Jordan Named Third Team All-MEAC: Jordan was selected Third Team All-MEAC by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, in large part because she ranks seventh in the MEAC in offensive rebounds, averaging 3.0 per game. Jordan is second on the team in rebounds with 5.9 per contest, and she had a double-double at South Carolina State on Jan. 26, scoring a career-high 22 points and grabbing 12 boards. She had a career-high 14 rebounds at DePaul on Dec. 22.
  
Loaded With Transfers: Of the seven newcomers currently on the Lady Pirates roster, four of them come from other Div. I schools. Senior guard Kyani White (Manassas, Va.) transferred over from East Carolina, while junior guard Kristine Rose (Miramar, Fla.) comes over from Xavier and redshirt junior forward Lindsay Williams (Bowie, Md.) was at Mount St. Mary's before heading to Anne Arundel Community College. In addition, senior guard Jackie Marshall (Hackensack, N.J.) played at Iona.
 
All They Do is Win: The Lady Pirates came into the 2014-15 season with the best winning percentage among all Div. I programs in the commonwealth of Virginia, sitting at .784 (127-35) in Six's first five years at the helm. Hampton has won 20 games or more in each of Six's five seasons and were on an 18-game winning streak, the fourth-longest in the nation, prior to their NCAA Tournament loss to Michigan State.
 
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.