Despite a spirited second-half comeback, Hampton fell to Duke in the first round of the NCAA Tournament on Sunday at Cameron Indoor Stadium, as the Blue Devils took a 67-51 win.
The No. 15 seed Lady Pirates finished the season 28-6, setting a program Div. I record for most wins in a single season. The loss to Duke snapped the team’s 19-game winning streak, and it was Hampton’s first loss since Dec. 30 at Virginia Tech.
“Tough to end that way,” head coach David Six said. “Certainly proud of my ladies.”
Senior forward Keiara Avant, the MEAC Player of the Year, led Hampton with 18 points on 7-for-11 shooting, while also grabbed seven rebounds. It was her 30th game this season scoring in double figures.
Senior guard Olivia Allen added 15 points – 12 of which came in the second half. Senior forward Ariel Phelps grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
The beginning of the game was a close affair, as a bucket from sophomore center Verdine Warner at the 12:43 mark cut Duke’s lead to 12-8. The Blue Devils answered, though, going on a 13-3 run to take a 25-11 lead with 6:02 left in the first half after Alexis Jones hit a 3-pointer.
Tricia Liston hit a layup with 1:50 left in the first half, giving Duke a 32-13 lead and extending the Duke run to 20-5. Duke led 32-15 at the half after Phelps hit a layup with 1:08 left in the first half.
The second half opened as mostly a back-and-forth affair, as Hampton cut Duke’s lead to 44-33 with 13:05 left to play after a layup from junior guard Nicole Hamilton. Jones put Duke back up 12:06 left with a layup, giving the Blue Devils a 46-33 lead.
The Lady Pirates answered with a 7-0 run to cut Duke’s lead to 46-40 with 10:14 to play after Avant hit a jumper. But the Blue Devils answered with a 10-2 run, taking a 56-42 lead with 5:46 to play on a Haley Peters layup.
Liston added a 3-pointer with 1:17 to play to give Duke a 67-48 lead.
The Lady Pirates shot 31.7 percent (20-for-63) from the floor, including a 43.3 percent (13-for-30) clip in the second half. Hampton hit four of its 18 3-pointers (22.2 percent) and seven of its 11 free throws (63.6 percent).
No. 2 seed Duke (31-2) shot 45.2 percent (28-for-62) from the floor and hit five of its 14 3-pointers (35.7 percent). The Blue Devils shot 75 percent (6-for-8) from the free throw line, and Duke out-rebounded the Lady Pirates 44-36.
Liston led four Duke players in double figures with 20 points.
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