CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. – The Hampton University women's basketball team used a strong second half to pick off Boston College 71-63 Saturday afternoon at the Silvio O. Conte Forum, despite being down at the half.

The Lady Pirates (8-2) still have not lost back-to-back games since a four-game skid in November of last season.

Senior guard Choicetta McMillian (Fairfield, Texas) led the way with 22 points – 15 of which came in the second half – while senior forward Melanie Warner (Tallahassee, Fla.) added 16 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

Junior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) also had a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Senior guard Jericka Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas) added 13 points – thanks largely to an 8-for-9 effort from the free throw line – and was one assist shy of a double-double.

When Victoria Lesko hit a 3-pointer with 13:15 left in the game to give Boston College a 51-43 lead, the Lady Pirates answered with a 9-0 run, taking their first lead since the first half with 8:38 to play after McMillian sank a layup to put Hampton up 52-51.

The Eagles answered with 4:15 left to play, taking a 59-58 lead after a layup from Katie Zanevitch. Warner immediately gave the lead back to Hampton, sinking a layup of her own with 3:56 to play to give the Lady Pirates a 60-59 lead.

Hampton outscored Boston College 11-4 in the final minutes of the game, hitting all eight of its free throws in the final four minutes.

Boston College led 35-30 at the half, thanks in large part to shooting 63.6 percent (14-for-22) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. The Eagles led by as many as nine in the first half, going up 30-21 with 3:30 left in the frame after a Zenevitch layup.

Hampton outscored the Eagles 9-5 through the rest of the half to close the gap.

The Lady Pirates shot 33.3 percent (22-for-66) from the floor, while also making eight of their 28 3-pointers and 19 of their 25 free throws – including 12 of 13 in the second half. Hampton also out-rebounded Boston College 40-30; 21 of those rebounds were on the offensive end, resulting in 18 second-chance points.

Hampton is undefeated this season when out-rebounding its opponents.

Boston College (4-7) shot 47.8 percent (22-for-46) from the floor, but made just five of its 12 3-pointers – all in the second half. The Eagles also committed 21 turnovers, which Hampton converted into 21 points.

Tiffany Ruffin led the Eagles with 15 points, 10 of which came in the first half, while Zenevitch added 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Wednesday and Thursday, when they travel to New Orleans, La. to compete in the Tulane/DoubleTree Classic – featuring Tulane, College of Charleston and Central Michigan.

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.