(Dover, Del.) – The Delaware State women's basketball team (4-10, 0-3 MEAC) found themselves down early and often at home throughout Saturday's MEAC contest as the Hampton Pirates (12-4, 3-0 MEAC), led by guard Malia DeFreitas-Tate (29 points) and forward Alyssa Bennett (25 points), cruised to a 79-39 victory.
With this win, the Lady Pirates recorded their 33rd consecutive victory over a MEAC opponent, while Delaware State dropped its 12th straight to HU.
In the opening minutes, guard Raven Bankston came away with a steal and scored the first basket of the game at the 19:04 mark. Unluckily for the Lady Hornets, it would be their lone advantage of the afternoon.
Leading 17-12 with 9:29 left before intermission, HU scored seven unanswered points to take its first double digit lead, capped off by a DeFreitas-Tate three, which forced a DSU 20-second timeout.
As the half progressed, the Pirates continued their strong play by outscoring Delaware State 17-7 to take a 41-19 lead into the locker room.
For DSU, it was bothered by foul trouble, headlined by leading scorer and rebounder Tierra Hawkins picking up three, whereas starters Bankston, guard Jade Washington and forward Tylinn Carter all had two at the break. As a result, the Pirates tallied 18 free throw attempts and hit 10.
Offensively, the Lady Hornets struggled by shooting just 27 percent (7-of-26) from the field, to go along with committing 15 turnovers.
In the case of HU, it went 14-of-30 (.467) from the floor, spearheaded by Tate-DeFreitas pouring in 19 points (7-of-14) and grabbing five rebounds. Co-MEAC Preseason Player of the Year Alyssa Bennett, meanwhile, chipped in with 12 points (4-of-6) and four rebounds.
To begin the second stanza, Delaware State continued to struggle on the offensive end by scoring just four points in the first 6:18. During this stretch, Hampton managed to build a 53-23 lead after two Bennett free throws.
The rest of the way, the Lady Hornets never cut the deficit under 20 as HU held on for the big win.
When the final buzzer sounded, DSU turned in season-lows in points (39), field percentage (.203), field goals made (12) and assists (4). Bankston led the Lady Hornets in scoring with 17 points (6-of-24), while Hawkins was held to just nine points (3-of-14) and nine rebounds before fouling out.
For Hampton, it finished the game shooting 43 percent (24-of-56) and won the battle on the boards, 53-45. Leading the way was Tate-DeFreitas' game-high 29 points (10-of-22), including a 7-for-10 (.700) output at the line. She also recorded eight rebounds, three assists and two steals.
Bennett, on the other hand, tallied 25 points (7-of-12) and nine rebounds while also going 10-for-13 (.769) from the charity stripe. On the glass, forward Brielle Ward totaled a game-high 12 rebounds.
Next up, the Lady Hornets will look to close their three-game homestand on a high note this Monday against the Norfolk State Spartans.
