DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – The Hampton University women's basketball team withstood a pair of second-half runs from Bethune-Cookman on Saturday afternoon at the Moore Gymnasium, holding on for the 61-54 win.
 
The Lady Pirates (6-9, 2-0 MEAC) have won three of their last four games and picked up their 51st straight win over a MEAC opponent.
 
Sophomore guard Malia Tate-DeFreitas (Harrisburg, Pa.) led the Lady Pirates with 20 points – 14 of which came in the second half – recording her 10th 20-point performance of the season. Senior guards Kyani White (Manassas, Va.) and Kenia Cole (Silver Spring, Md.) each added nine points.
 
Cole also tied her career highs in rebounds and assists with eight each. Both were team highs.
 
The Lady Pirates shot 43.5 percent (27-for-62) from the floor and hit four of their 12 3-pointers. Hampton also held a 37-35 edge on the glass, and the Lady Pirates turned 26 Bethune-Cookman turnovers into 21 points.
 
A layup from redshirt junior forward Tyler Hobgood (Oxford, N.C.) gave the Lady Pirates a 59-41 lead with 5:51 left to play, before the Wildcats went on a 13-0 run to cut the lead to 59-54 with 38 seconds remaining after a pair of free throws from Kendra Cooper.
 
Tate-DeFreitas and Cole each hit a free throw down the stretch to clinch the win.
 
Earlier in the second half, the Lady Pirates held a 40-24 lead at the 17:34 mark after Tate-DeFreitas hit a fastbreak layup. Bethune-Cookman answered with a 15-2 run, cutting the lead to 42-39 with 11:25 to play after a layup from Lyndsey Edwards.
 
Cole answered with a layup on the following possession to end the run, and that kicked off a string of 13 unanswered points for the Lady Pirates.
 
A Tate-DeFreitas trey with 7:10 remaining capped off that run, giving Hampton a 55-39 lead.
 
After the Lady Pirates held an early 4-3 lead, Hampton went on a 17-5 run, taking a 21-8 lead at the 8:30 mark after a jumper in the paint from Tate-DeFreitas. A Hobgood layup at the 4:03 mark gave Hampton a 31-16 lead.
 
Cole added a 3-pointer at the 3:05 mark, giving the Lady Pirates a 36-18 lead.
 
Bethune-Cookman (4-11, 1-2 MEAC) shot 36.8 percent (19-for-49) from the floor and made six of its 15 3-pointers (40.0 percent).
 
Emily Williams led the Wildcats with 13 points.
 
The Lady Pirates will head to Tallahassee, Fla. on Monday to take on Florida A&M at 6 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.