WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Hampton University women's basketball team came back on more than one occasion in the second half Sunday afternoon in Bender Arena, forcing overtime before beating American 61-58 at the buzzer.

Junior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) drained a 3-pointer from the corner as the buzzer sounded to give the Lady Pirates their 11th victory of the season.

Bennett led all scorers with 18 points, while senior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) added 12 points and 13 rebounds for her eighth double-double of the season. Junior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) added 12 points and five assists.

Avant gave the Lady Pirates a 53-51 lead with 4:39 left in the overtime period with a pair of free throws. Sophomore center Verdine Warner (St. Vincent, Grenadines) added a free throw at the 3:59 mark to give Hampton a 54-51 lead.

Michelle Holmes tied the game at 54-54 at the 3:10 mark with a 3-point play, then, with the score tied at 56-56 with 3:18 to play, Warner hit both free throws to give Hampton a 58-56 lead.

Gelesia George tied the game at 58-58 with two free throws with 1:25 left.

Bennett gave the Lady Pirates a 5-4 lead at the 18:34 mark with a 3-point play, before American went on an 8-0 run to take a 12-5 lead with 15:56 left in the half. In fact, the Eagled led 19-9 at the 11:15 mark after a basket from Sarah Kiely to cap a 15-4 run.

The Lady Pirates then went on a 5-0 spurt, cutting the lead to 19-14 at the 8:59 mark after a layup from Avant. American then scored back-to-back buckets to take a 21-14 lead with 7:16 left in the half after a jumper from George.

American took a 30-23 lead into the half, shooting 44.4 percent (12-for-27) from the floor and making four of its 11 3-pointers.

The Lady Pirates opened the second half on a 6-0 run, closing the lead to 30-29 on a Hamilton layup at the 18:08 mark before American spent a timeout in an attempt to stop the momentum.

Avant gave the Lady Pirates a 31-30 lead at the 17:36 mark, though, extending the Hampton run to 8-0. Ultimately, the Lady Pirates went on a 10-0 run to open the half, going up 33-30 after an Avant layup with 16:58 to play.

American's first field goal of the second half didn't come until the 15:38 mark.

The Eagles fought back to take a 43-41 lead with 8:48 to play after a 3-point play from George. American took a 45-41 lead at the 7:19 mark, capping an 8-0 run with a floated from Holmes.

Senior JoNiquia Guilford (Chesapeake, Va.) hit a jumper with 5:56 to play to tie the game at 45-45, but Shaquilla Curtis gave the Eagles the lead back with a layup, 47-45 with 4:53 to play.

But Bennett responded with the next two baskets for Hampton, and her fast-break layup with 3:35 to play gave the Lady Pirates a 49-47 lead. Holmes tied the game at 49-49 with 3:08 to play with a stickback.

Bennett then answered yet again, stealing the ball and laying it in with 1:24 to play to give Hampton a 51-49 lead. Bennett had the Lady Pirates' last three field goals in regulation.

Curtis hit the basket with four seconds left to send the game into overtime.

The Lady Pirates shot 34.8 percent (23-for-66) from the floor and hit just two of their 16 3-pointers, as well as 13 of their 19 free throws. Hampton scored 22 points off of 19 American turnovers.

The Eagles shot 38.6 percent (22-for-57) from the floor and out-rebounded Hampton 44-41.

George led American (6-8) with 13 points.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Saturday, when they open conference play against Howard at 2 p.m. at Burr Gymnasium. 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.