Game Notes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Hampton University women's basketball team will end a two-game road swing on Monday at Burr Gymnasium, taking on rival Howard at 6 p.m.
 
Radio: WHOV 88.1 FM.
 
Last Time Out: The Lady Pirates (10-12, 8-1 MEAC) won their sixth straight game this past Saturday with a 76-55 win over Maryland Eastern Shore. Junior guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas dropped 31 points on 10-for-16 shooting, while freshman guard K'lynn Willis added a career-high 21 points for her sixth double-digit scoring effort in the last seven games.
 
The Series: The Lady Pirates are 31-20 against Howard all-time, and Hampton has won each of the last 15 meetings between the two teams. The series is tied 11-11 in Washington, D.C.
 
Scouting the Bison: Howard (3-18, 1-7 MEAC), in its first season under head coach Tiesha "Ty" Grace, has lost six straight and nine of their last 10 after a 110-108 double-overtime loss to Norfolk State on Saturday. Senior center Victoria Gonzales is the team's top scorer (a MEAC-best 20.7 points per game) and top rebounder (8.6 boards per game).
 
Lady Pirates Against the MEAC: Hampton is 334-142 against teams currently in the MEAC — including a 31-20 mark against Howard — and the Hampton has won eight MEAC regular-season titles to go along with eight tournament titles, including five of the last six.
 
Lady Pirates on the Road: The Lady Pirates were 9-9 in true road games last season, marking the first time since the 2009-10 season they did not post a winning record on the road. In their first six-plus seasons under head coach David Six, the Lady Pirates are a combined 66-35 in road games after a 76-55 win over UMES this past Saturday. In 2012-13, Hampton was 13-1 on the road, and from 2010-11 through 2013-14 — a span of four seasons — Hampton was a combined 47-11 on the road.
  
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. The Lady Pirates were regular-season champions for the fifth straight year last season after going 14-2 in league play. For the second straight season, North Carolina A&T has been chosen to win the MEAC.
 
Preseason Honors: Tate-DeFreitas was named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, after earning the conference's top individual honor a season ago, and senior guard Ryan Jordan was named Preseason Third Team All-MEAC. The preseason teams were voted on by the MEAC's head coaches and sports information directors.
 
Tate-DeFreitas Moving on Up: Twenty-two games into the 2015-16 season, Tate-DeFreitas is fourth on the Lady Pirates' all-time scoring list with 1,723 career points — after just two-plus seasons of play. The reigning MEAC Player of the Year is averaging 19.8 points in 87 career games thus far, and she is 72 points shy of third on the list (Anita Cooper, 1982-86, 1,795 career points). Jackie Dolberry (1985-89) is the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,727 career points. LaShondra Dixon-Gordon (1999-2003) is the program's all-time Div. I leading scorer, ranking second overall with 1,967 career points.
 
Lupoe Coming Along: Sophomore forward Kaylah Lupoe was a force to be reckoned with in the closing stages of the 2014-15 season. Averaging 4.3 points and 2.9 rebounds a game for the year, Lupoe upped those averages to 14.0 points and 7.7 rebounds over the last seven games of the regular season. She had three double-doubles during that stretch, including a 20-point, 13-rebound effort at Howard and a 25-point, 11-rebound game at Delaware State. Lupoe ended the regular season with three straight 20-point games, and she started in four of Hampton's last five games. During that seven game span, the team averaged over 78 points per game. Lupoe is averaging 10.1 points and a team-best 7.7 rebounds per game.
 
All They Do is Win: The Lady Pirates come into the 2015-16 season with the second-highest winning percentage among all Div. I women's basketball programs in the Commonwealth of Virginia. In Six's first six years at the helm, the Lady Pirates are 146-48 overall (a .753 winning percentage), behind only James Madison in terms of winning percentage. Hampton has won at least 20 games in five of Six's first six seasons, and the Lady Pirates won 19 games last season.
 
Defense, Defense, Defense: Defense has been a staple of the Lady Pirates during Six's tenure. The MEAC Defensive Player of the Year award has gone to a Hampton player four times in the last six seasons, and in each of those six seasons, the Lady Pirates have ranked top 50 nationally in scoring defense. Hampton led all Div. I teams in scoring defense in 2012-13, holding opponents to 47.8 points per game. In 2011-12, Hampton was second in the nation, behind UConn, in scoring defense, giving up 47.6 points per game. This past season, Hampton was 50th in the nation in scoring defense, allowing 58.5 points per game. In addition, the Lady Pirates were seventh in the nation in steals last season, averaging 11.4 per game.
 
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.