HAMPTON, Virigina -- The Hampton University women’s basketball team, behind strong performances from senior guard Olivia Allen and senior forward Keiara Avant, upended Norfolk State 83-42 at the HU Convocation Center in front of a national ESPNU audience.
The Lady Pirates (20-5, 11-0 MEAC), in picking up their 11th straight win, recorded their fourth straight 20-win season – a feat Hampton had never achieved at the Division I level.
Allen (Kildeer, Ill.) led the way with a career-high 26 points, going 12-for-21 from the floor. She had 19 points in the first half alone. Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) recorded her 15th double-double of the season with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Junior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) added 13 points to go along with a team-high seven assists, while junior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.), the reigning MEAC Player of the Week, chipped in 12 points.
After Batavia Owens gave Norfolk State a 2-0 lead with a jumper, the Lady Pirates answered with a 16-0 run, taking a 16-2 lead at the 11:54 mark of the first half after a layup from Allen. Norfolk State went just over seven minutes without a basket during Hampton’s run.
The Spartans cut the lead to 11, as Aivah Parham hit a jumper at the 4:34 mark to make the score 26-15, but the Lady Pirates closed the half on a 13-1 run to take a 39-16 lead into the break.
A 14-6 run to open the second half gave the Lady Pirates a 50-22 lead with 15:14 left in the second half on an Allen trey, and Avant added a jumper at the 13:26 mark to put the Lady Pirates up 56-24. Allen later hit a jumper with 10:47 to play to give Hampton a 62-26 lead.
Senior guard JoNiquia Guilford (Chesapeake, Va.) gave the Lady Pirates their largest lead of the night with 2:23 left with a jumper to put Hampton up 80-38.
The Lady Pirates shot a season-best 50.0 percent (32-for-64) from the floor, hitting four of their 17 3-pointers (23.5 percent) and going 15-for-20 (75.0 percent) from the free throw line. Hampton also scored 37 points off of 27 Norfolk State turnovers.
Hampton also held a 14-0 edge on the fast break. Both teams grabbed 27 rebounds.
Norfolk State (5-18, 3-9 MEAC) shot just 30.2 percent (16-for-53) from the floor and missed both 3-point attempts. The Spartans went just 10-for-16 (62.5 percent) from the free throw line.
Recca Trice led the Spartans with 10 points.
The Lady Pirates will return to action on Wednesday, when they take on Maryland Eastern Shore at 5:30 p.m. at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center. 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.
COURTESY HAMPTON UNIVERSITY SPORTS INFORMATION
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