HAMPTON, Va. – In celebrating Senior Night with a 64-49 win over rival Norfolk State Thursday night at the HU Convocation Center, the Hampton University women's basketball team won its fifth straight Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular-season title.
 
The Lady Pirates (18-11, 14-2 MEAC) have won eight straight games.
 
Hampton will once again be the top seed in next week's MEAC Tournament in Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va., earning a first-round bye. Their quarterfinal match-up will be on Wednesday, March 11 at 12 p.m.
 
Freshman forward Kaylah Lupoe (Phoenix, Ariz.) led the Lady Pirates with her third straight 20-point effort, racking up 20 points on 9-for-12 shooting to go along with five rebounds and three blocks. Sophomore guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) added 13 points.
 
Junior guard Ryan Jordan (Manassas, Va.) chipped in 10 points off the bench, while redshirt junior forward Tyler Hobgood (Oxford, N.C.) came off the bench to grab a team-high eight rebounds.
 
The Lady Pirates shot 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from the floor – including a 53.9 percent clip (14-for-26) in the second half. Hampton hit two of its six 3-pointers – both from Jordan – and went 16-for-25 (64.0 percent) from the free throw line.
 
Hampton and Norfolk State each had 37 rebounds. But the Spartans finished the night with 22 turnovers, which led to 21 points for the Lady Pirates.
 
Norfolk State cut Hampton's lead to 11-8 with 13:19 left in the first half, before the Lady Pirates answered with a 10-0 run to take a 21-8 lead at the 6:29 mark after a free throw from Hobgood. Tate-DeFreitas hit two free throws at the 5:53 mark to give Hampton a 23-10 lead.
 
Rae Corbo answered with a trey, before Dominique Harper hit a jumper to cut the lead to 23-15. But a 5-2 spurt to end the half sent the Lady Pirates into the locker room with a 28-17 lead after a jumper from Jordan with 35 seconds left.
 
Tate-DeFreitas had 11 points at the break.
 
The Lady Pirates held Norfolk State at arm's length throughout the second half, as the Spartans could get no closer than within nine at 30-21 with 18:13 left after a layup from Koryn Lawrence. But that was the last time the Spartans would be within single digits.
 
Lupoe converted a 3-point play with 14:53 left to put Hampton up 35-21.
 
Hampton's largest lead came with 47 seconds left after a 3-point play from senior guard Kenia Cole (Silver Spring, Md.) converted a 3-point play to put the Lady Pirates up 64-48.
 
Norfolk State (12-15, 11-5 MEAC) shot 36.4 percent (20-for-55) from the floor and made just one of five 3-pointers. The Spartans also struggled at the free throw line, going 8-for-14 (57.1 percent).
 
Corbo led Norfolk State with 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.