Hampton Lady Pirates Set For NCAA First-Round Match-Up

CHAPEL HILL, North Carolina  – The Hampton University women's basketball team, fresh off its fifth straight MEAC Tournament title, will face Michigan State in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Tournament on Sunday at 12:40 p.m. in Carmichael Arena.

The game will be televised live on ESPN2.

Game Notes

The Lady Pirates (28-4), the No. 12 seed in the Stanford Region, have won 18 straight games after defeating Coppin State 50-47 this past Saturday in the MEAC Tournament championship game. Senior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) led the way with 20 points.

Redshirt-sophomore forward Brielle Ward (Baltimore, Md.) recorded her first double-double of the season in that game, with a season-high 10 points and 10 rebounds.

Senior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) was named the most Outstanding Player of the MEAC Tournament after averaging 22.3 points and 15.0 rebounds per game in the tournament.

Hampton is the first program ever to win five straight MEAC Tournament titles.

No. 20/24 Michigan State (22-9) won the Big Ten regular-season title before falling 86-58 to Nebraska in the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament on March 8; that loss snapped a six-game winning streak. Redshirt-freshman guard Aerial Powers, a First Team All-Big Ten selection, leads a balances attack with 13.4 points and 8.0 rebounds per game.

Freshman guard Tori Jankoska and senior forward Annalise Pickrel are each averaging 12.4 points per game.

The Spartans are the No. 5 seed in the Stanford Region.

Sunday's games in Carmichael Arena are part of the Stanford Region; No. 4 North Carolina and No. 13 UT-Martin will also be in Chapel Hill, and the winner of that game will face the winner of the Hampton-Michigan State game on Tuesday. South Carolina is the Stanford Region's No. 1 seed, with Stanford holding down the No. 2 seed.

This will be the first-ever meeting between the Lady Pirates and Michigan State.

Hampton is 0-4 all-time against teams currently in the Big Ten, having lost games against Nebraska, Northwestern, Penn State, and Wisconsin. The Lady Pirates' last game against a Big Ten foe came on Nov. 27, 2004, when Nebraska won 72-54 on a neutral floor.

The Lady Pirates are 21-9 on neutral courts in Six's tenure, including a 6-0 mark so far this season. Hampton has won its last 10 neutral-court games dating back to last season.

This will be the Lady Pirates' fifth straight appearance in the NCAA Div. I Tournament and their eighth overall. Hampton made its first appearance in the NCAA Tournament as a Div. I program in 2000, taking on Connecticut.

The Lady Pirates are in search of their first-ever tournament win as a Div. I program.

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