HAMPTON, Va. – A 16-0 run midway through the second quarter proved to be the starting point on Wednesday night as the Hampton University Lady Pirates cruised to an 80-46 win over South Carolina State University at the HU Convocation Center.

With the win, Hampton is now 12-7 overall and 6-0 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) action.  SCSU falls to 4-13 overall and 1-5 in MEAC play.  Hampton has now won seven games in a row.

DeJane' James scored a career-high 17 points and dished out a career-high six assists to lead three in double figures for Hampton.  Monnazjea Finney-Smith added 13 points and five rebounds while Ashley Bates added 11 and three steals.

After three ties in the first five minutes, a Georgianna Gilbeaux put-back gave Hampton a 10-8 lead with 3:50 left in the first quarter.  James hit a 3-pointer to close out an 8-2 flurry that put Hampton up 18-10 after one.

In the second quarter, the teams traded points before a Jephany Brown free throw started the 16-0 run over a 3:34 span.  Brown hit a layup off a feed from James to push the lead to 25-14 and then those two flipped roles with James converting a layup off a steal from Brown to lead 27-14 with 6:20 left.  Gilbeaux closed the run with a jumper at the 3:40 mark to lead 38-14.

South Carolina State trimmed the deficit to 47-28 on a pair of Bryeasha Blair free throws with 5:24 left in the third, Hampton went on a 14-6 spurt to lead 61-34 on a Gilbeaux layup with 2:12 left in the third.

Hampton pushed the lead to as much as 37 points in the fourth as they went on a 12-2 run in the first 7:18 of the final quarter as James hit her final triple of the night to lead 77-40.

Freshman Adria Strothers matched her season-high with nine points hitting three 3-pointers in nine minutes of action.  Hampton hit 41.8% from the floor (28-of-67), 28.6% from 3-point range (8-of-28) and 72.7% from the line (16-of-22).  The Lady Pirates outrebounded SCSU 43-39 and forced them into 21 turnovers which were converted into 35 points.

Hampton returns to the home hardwood on Monday night at 5 pm when they face Coppin State.

For more information on Hampton University women's basketball, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5906 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.