Tate-DeFreitas, Bennett lead Lady Pirates past Spartans
NORFOLK, Va. – Freshman guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas and senior forward Alyssa Bennett each had bounce-back games Saturday afternoon in Echols Hall, as the Hampton University women’s basketball team throttled Norfolk State 93-59.
The Lady Pirates (21-4, 12-0 MEAC) have won 11 straight games.
Tate-DeFreitas poured in a game-high 33 points, hitting a career-high seven 3-pointers for her second career 30-point effort. Bennett recorded her 10th double-double of the season with 22 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.
She is five points shy of 1,000 for her career.
Junior guard Kenia Cole added 14 points, hitting three of her five 3-pointers.
The Lady Pirates shot 49.2 percent (32-for-65) from the floor and hit 11 of their 23 3-pointers (47.8 percent). Hampton also held a 37-35 edge in rebounding, and the Lady Pirates turned 25 Spartans turnovers into 27 points.
Norfolk State (10-12, 6-5 MEAC) shot 37.0 percent (20-for-54) from the floor.
Koryn Lawrence led the Spartans with 16 points.
The Lady Pirates will head to Washington, D.C. next Saturday to take on Howard at 5 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com or www.nsuspartans.com
Maryland Eastern Shore holds off Howard
PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - On a day where the University of Maryland Eastern Shore (UMES) family comes together and returns home for Homecoming, the women's basketball team made a statement win over the Lady Bison of Howard University, 66-57, inside the William P. Hytche Athletic Center.
As the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament looms, these two conference rivals are on a collision course and may meet in the first-round of the tournament.
With the victory, Maryland Eastern Shore improved to 6-16 overall (2-9 MEAC) while Howard dropped to 10-14 (6-5 MEAC) on the season.
Junior guard Jessica Long paced the Lady Hawks as she scored 19 points, including 10-14 from the charity stripe, while Shawnee Sweeney led the UMES' bench squad, posting 16 points and five boards in the win.
For Howard, Shavonne Duckett recorded 14 points and four rebounds, while Jasmine Hill and Te'Shya Heslip combined for 30 points in a losing effort.
Maryland Eastern Shore takes on the Lady Bears of Morgan State University on Monday in their lone
seasonal matchup of the season inside the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center. Tip-off is booked for 5:30 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.umeshawks.com or www.hubison.com
Sluggish Hornets No Match for Bethune-Cookman on the Road
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Facing an uphill climb, the Delaware State women’s basketball team (6-17, 1-10 MEAC) failed to find its groove Saturday afternoon on the road against the Bethune-Cookman Wildcats (9-16, 6-7 MEAC) to fall 80-51.
With this loss, the Lady Hornets dropped their fourth in a row, while B-CU bounced back from a 66-35 loss at North Carolina A&T earlier in the week.
Five Wildcats scored in double figures, led by guard Taylor Houston’s game-high 22 points (7-of-10). Houston also pulled down eight rebounds and hit all five free throw attempts, while Chastity Rene Taylor finished with 12 points (4-of-10) and a game-high nine assists.
Collectively, the Wildcats shot 46 percent (27-of-59) from the field and went 11-of-26 (.423) from long distance, with Kendra Cooper draining a game-high four to finish with 16 points. Rebounding wise, B-CU totaled 41 to DSU’s 30.
The Lady Hornets, meanwhile, had three players score in double figures with Raven Bankston finishing with 12 points (4-of-14), snapping a five-game streak of scoring 20 points or more. Off the bench, guard N’Kayah Kersey added 11 points (3-of-9), with nine coming from long distance. As a unit, Delaware State was held to just 29 percent (15-of-51) shooting.
The Lady Hornets will look to get back on track on the road against Florida A&M at 6 p.m., on Monday.
For complete story, visit www.dsuhornets.com or www.bcuathletics.com
Davis paces North Carolina Central past South Carolina State
ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The North Carolina Central University women’s basketball team snapped its four-game losing streak as the Lady Eagles (9-15, 4-7) took down the South Carolina State Lady Bulldogs (6-15, 4-7) 57-51, during the first of three road contests for NCCU on Saturday, Feb. 15 in Orangeburg, S.C.
Junior Racquel Davis led all-scorers with 23, as she collected her 11th double-double of the season. Davis shot 8-for-15 from the field, 7-for-10 from the free throw line and collected eight of her 11 rebounds off of the offensive glass.
Rookie Tia Clement contributed to Davis’ success as she earned a season-best nine points and season-high six boards while Gary pulled down an additional 11 rebounds and Conerly and Jessica Freeman added eight points.
The Lady Bulldogs were led by Kourtney Williams 15 points and Cherisha Floyd’s game-high 12 rebounds.
As a team NCCU shot 22-for-58 from the field (37.8%), 3-for-12 from the three point line (25.0%) and 10-for-17 from the charity stripe (58.8%) while outrebounding SCSU 45-36, dishing 14 assists and collecting three blocks and steals.
NCCU continues road action on Monday, Feb. 17 as the Lady Eagles travel to Savannah, Ga., where they will take on the Savannah State Tigers at 6 p.m.
For complete story, visit www.nccueaglepride.com or www.scsuathletics.com
Grice pours in 36 as Florida A&M downs Coppin State
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – FAMU senior guard Jasmine Grice lit up the Al Lawson Center for 36 points en route to her third consecutive game scoring 30 or more points in a game. In the process, she led the Lady Rattlers (12-12, 6-5 MEAC) to an 83-80 win over the Coppin State Lady Eagles (12-11, 9-3 MEAC), in a critical MEAC contest.
Ashle Craig shot 50-percent from the field, going 6-for-12 , carding 21 points for CSU. Kyra Coleman, was just a step behind as she contributed 18 points, while Larrisa Carter scored 14 points. Carter pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds while teammate Tanaysa Henderson pulled down nine.
Tierra Prothro pumped in 17 points, going 8-for-11 from the field, while Rubin scored 11 points to round out the trio of Lady Rattlers scoring in double figures.
CSU rushed out to an 18-point lead in the first half, as the Lady Rattlers withstood the onslaught to settle into a defensive press, forcing the Eagles into 19 turnovers. Coppin State scored 46 points in the first half, but managed just 34 in the second half. The back-and-forth battle saw 10 lead changes and six ties.
FAMU shot 51.6 percent from the field int he second half to power their comeback, after shooting just 38.7 percent in the first half. CSU shot 50 percent in the first half and just 37.1 precent in the second half. FAMU also took the edge in three-point shots as they went 9-for-16 (56.3 percent), while CSU went 5-for-14 (35.7 percent) for the game.
The Lady Rattlers will face the Lady Hornets of Delaware State on Monday in a 6 p.m. start at the Al Lawson Center.
For complete story, visit www.famuathletics.com or www.coppinstatesports.com