HAMPTON, Va. – Another monster game from Malia Tate-DeFreitas was in store on Monday evening at the HU Convocation Center, and it helped the Hampton University women's basketball team upend South Carolina State 63-50.
 
The Lady Pirates (8-12, 6-1 MEAC) have won four straight games.
 
Tate-DeFreitas notched her second straight double-double – and her fourth of the season – with 30 points and 11 rebounds. On top of recording her fifth career 30-point game, going 10-for-18 from the floor and hitting four 3-pointers, she had a team-high four steals.
 
Kaylah Lupoe and Kristine Rose each had nine points, while Lupoe added eight rebounds.
 
The Lady Pirates shot 42.1 percent (24-for-57) from the floor, hitting five of their 17 3-pointers (29.4 percent). Hampton struggled from the free throw line (10-for-23, 43.5 percent), but turned 19 S.C. State turnovers into 19 points.
 
Hampton scored the game's first six points, before S.C. State responded with five in a row to cut the lead to 6-5 with 7:07 left in the quarter. But the Lady Pirates closed the quarter on an 11-0 run, taking a 17-5 lead with 1:07 left after Rose hit a layup in transition.
 
S.C. State only scored eight points in the first quarter.
 
Tate-DeFreitas hit a trey with 6:03 left in the second quarter to give the Lady Pirates a 26-12 lead, and a free throw from Lupoe 16 seconds later put the lead at 27-12. The lead ballooned to 15 again, 31-16, after a three from Rose at the 3:25 mark.
 
But the Bulldogs closed the quarter on a 9-3 run, closing the gap to 34-25 at the half following a layup from Jasmine Coleman with 18 seconds left.
 
Tate-DeFreitas, the reigning MEAC Player of the Week, had 11 points at the break.
 
Hampton opened the third quarter on a 15-7 run, taking a 49-32 lead with 3:06 left after a layup from Lupoe. A layup from Rose at the 2:07 mark gave the Lady Pirates a 51-34 lead. But the Bulldogs went on a 14-2 run that bled into the fourth quarter, cutting the lead to 53-48 with 6:21 left to play following a layup from Bria Ratliff.
 
Jahmia Bradley cut the lead to 55-50 with a pair of free throws with 4:42 remaining, but the Lady Pirates scored the last eight points of the game, the final margin coming on a Georgianna Gilbeaux free throw with 36 seconds left.
 
Ratliff's layup was S.C. State's last field goal of the game.
 
S.C. State (8-10, 4-4 MEAC) shot 30.8 percent (20-for-65) from the floor and hit four of 13 3-pointers (30.8 percent). The Bulldogs held a 42-41 edge on the glass.
 
Coleman and Howard each had 11 points to lead the Bulldogs.
 
The Lady Pirates will play host to Norfolk State on Saturday at 4 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.