Game Notes

BALTIMORE, Md. – The Hampton University women's basketball team will head to the Physical Education Complex on Saturday to take on Coppin State at 2 p.m. in the team's first road conference game of the season.

The Lady Pirates (11-3, 3-0 MEAC) picked up their second straight win on Saturday, defeating Howard 63-40 at the HU Convocation Center. Sophomore forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.), the reigning MEAC Player of the Week, led all scorers with a career-high 23 points, while tying her career high in rebounds with 11 and blocking a career-high three shots.

Senior guard Jericka Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas) added 14 points and 11 assists – leaving her seven assists shy of 500 for her career – while senior forward Melanie Warner (Tallahassee, Fla.) chipped in 11 points and eight boards.

Coppin State (7-9, 2-1 MEAC) is on a five-game winning streak after beating South Carolina State 57-39 on Monday in Orangeburg, S.C. Senior forward Crystal Whittington led the way with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while senior center  Jeanine Manley added 11 points and 11 rebounds.

Junior forward Leola Spotwood poured in 11 points for the Lady Eagles.

Coppin State went 13-17 last season, finishing tied for fourth in the MEAC with a 9-7 record before falling to Hampton in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament. The Lady Eagles, under 13th-year head coach Derek Brown, return all five starters and 10 letterwinners from last year's squad, and Coppin State was picked to finish sixth in the MEAC this season.

Manley is the only Coppin State player averaging in double figures this season, pouring in a team-high 12.6 points per game — an average that jumps to 13-7 points a game in MEAC play. Whittington is pulling down a team-high 6.9 rebounds a contest — 9.7 boards against conference opponents.

Coppin State is scoring 60.7 points a game, while giving up just 58.2 points a contest.

Hampton is 16-14 all-time against Coppin State, having won three of the last four meetings — including both match-ups last season. Before Feb. 21, 2009, Coppin State had beaten the Lady Pirates nine straight times. Coppin State last beat Hampton on Jan. 9, 2010, 58-57 in Baltimore, Md. Hampton is 5-7 all-time against Coppin State in Baltimore, Md.

The Lady Pirates are 265-136 all-time against teams currently in the MEAC, and Hampton has a winning record against every school in the conference. The Lady Pirates are 20-7 against Bethune-Cookman; 16-14 against Coppin State; 26-12 against Delaware State; 20-10 against Florida A&M; 21-20 against Howard; 31-6 against Maryland Eastern Shore; 20-11 against Morgan State; 48-33 against Norfolk State; 22-11 against North Carolina A&T; 15-2 against North Carolina Central; 1-0 against Savannah State; and 25-10 against South Carolina State.

In addition, Hampton has won or shared regular-season MEAC titles four times (1998-99, 2002-03, 2003-04, 2010-11) and claimed five MEAC Tournament crowns (2000, 2003, 2004, 2010, 2011).

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.