ORANEGBURG, S.C. – With a 78-47 win over South Carolina State Monday evening at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center, the Hampton University women's basketball team extended a few streaks.
 
First, the Lady Pirates (16-4, 7-0 MEAC) won their sixth straight game.
 
Hampton also won its 37th straight game against a MEAC foe – a streak dating back to the 2011-12 season.
 
The Lady Pirates have also won 23 straight on the road in conference play.
 
Freshman guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) was a big reason for that, leading all scorers with 27 points on 9-for-17 shooting to record her eighth 20-point effort of the season. Senior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.) added 17 points – all in the second half – and eight rebounds.
 
Senior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) added 10 points, nine rebounds, seven assists, and five blocks. She is now six points shy of 1,000 for her career.
 
Redshirt-sophomore forward Brielle Ward (Baltimore, Md.) grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
 
A pair of Ward free throws gave the Lady Pirates an 18-9 lead at the 12:20 mark of the first half, before South Carolina State did something few Hampton opponents have this season: maintain a run. The Lady Bulldogs scored the next six points to cut the Lady Pirates' lead to 18-15 with 8:08 left in the half.
 
But Tate-DeFreitas stopped the run by herself with a 3-pointer and a driving layup, putting the Lady Pirates up 23-15 with 7:09 left in the opening stanza. By the time Tate-DeFreitas hit a trey with 48 seconds left in the half, it capped an 18-7 run to end the half – and it sent the Lady Pirates into the locker room with a 35-22 lead.
 
Tate-DeFreitas had 15 points in the first half.
 
SCSU never seriously threatened in the second half – the result of Hampton's relentless defense (teams are scoring just 57.2 points a game against the Lady Pirates) – though the Bulldogs cut the lead to 44-30 with 11:25 remaining on a trey from Lynasia Frazier.
 
Hampton answered with a 12-2 run, taking a 56-32 lead on a jumper from Tate-DeFreitas with 7:57 left. Hamilton added a 3-pointer – her only one of the contest – just over a minute later to put the Lady Pirates up 59-35.
 
Cherisha Floyd hit a jumper with 3:37 left to cut Hampton's lead to 67-46, but the Lady Pirates scored the next nine points to take their largest lead of the night – a 76-46 lead with 54 seconds left after a jumper from Bennett.
 
Floyd's jumper was SCSU's last field goal of the night. In conference play, the Lady Pirates are only giving up 47.3 points per contest.
 
The Lady Pirates shot 46.8 percent (29-for-62) from the floor and hit seven of their 23 3-pointers (30.4 percent). Hampton also had one of its best performances at the free throw line this season, going 13-for-16 (81.3 percent).
 
Hampton also out-rebounded SCSU 45-31 and turned 15 Lady Bulldog turnovers into 12 points.
 
The Lady Pirates also held a 24-11 edge in second-chance points.
 
SCSU (5-12, 3-4 MEAC) shot just 31.6 percent (18-for-57) from the floor and went 5-for-16 (31.3 percent) from behind the arc. The Lady Bulldogs only made eight trips to the free throw line, converting six times.
 
Dayshaun Richbow led the Lady Bulldogs with nine points.
 
The Lady Pirates will be in Baltimore, Md. on Saturday, where they will take on Coppin State at 2 p.m. 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.