TOLEDO, Ohio - The Hampton University women's basketball team opened the inaugural Toledo Invite on Thursday afternoon with a 49-42 loss to Prairie View A&M at the Savage Arena in what was a defensive struggle.

The Lady Pirates (7-4) had their three-game winning streak snapped and will face either Toledo or Evansville on Friday at 4:30 p.m.

Senior forward Keiara Avant led the Lady Pirates with 18 points and nine rebounds, falling just shy of her seventh double-double of the season. Junior guard Nicole Hamilton added eight points.

Hampton shot 30.4 percent (17-for-56) from the floor, hitting two of its 17 3-pointers and six of its 14 free throws. The Lady Pirates scored PVAMU into 27 turnovers, but only converted those into 13 points.

PVAMU shot 33.3 percent (17-for-51) from the floor and went 4-for-11 from behind the arc. The Lady Panthers also held a 45-36 edge on the glass.

For the complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com

Lady Tigers Fall To Florida In Holiday Classic

GAINESVILLE, Fla. - In the second game of the Florida Holiday Classic, the Savannah State women's basketball squad fell to Florida 38-88, Thursday evening at the Stephen C. O'Connell Center in Gainesville, Florida.

In the opening game, Central Michigan beat Saint Joseph's 98-84. The Lady Tigers play Saint Joseph's in the consolation game at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. It will be the first meeting between Saint Joseph's and Savannah State. Florida takes on Central Michigan in the championship game Friday evening at 7 p.m.

Leading the Lady Tigers in the loss was Jazmin Thomas and Erin Hogue, Thomas scored a career and season high 12 points. Hogue scored 12 points, and led in rebounds with five. The Lady Tigers shot 28.8 percent from the floor. The Gators shot 47.3 and were led by Sydney Moss who scored 17 points off the bench. Jennifer George recorded a double-double (14-11) for Florida.  

The Lady Tigers have played four Southeastern (SEC) teams this season, the most in the school's Division I record. SSU played South Carolina (L, 47-78), Georgia (L, 57-94), and Mississippi State (L, 55-70) earlier this season.

Florida takes a 2-1 series advantage over SSU. The Lady Tigers fell in the team's last meeting on November 11, 2008, 55-75. SSU beat Florida on January 24, 1976, 90-62.

For the complete story, visit www.ssuathletics.com