Chinyere Ukoh scored 11 points and Sharella Leslie added 10 to lead Hampton University to a 68-49 win over Norfolk State University in the first round of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women’s tournament at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum. The Lady Pirates (14-15), the Number 6 seed, will take on the Lady Hornets of Delaware State, the Number 3 seed, on Thursday at 12 noon.
Norfolk State got to a good early start, taking a 10-2 lead three minutes into the game. But Hampton, which had defeated the Lady Spartans (1-27) by large margins in both the regular season games, But the Lady Pirates put together a 23-11 run to take a 25-21 lead that it never relinquished. Ukoh and Leslie asserted themselves in the post area with an inside presence and some power rebounding.
Norfolk State helped the Hampton cause by missing several close-in shots. For the game, the Lady Spartans shot a woeful 23 percent (14 of 61). The Lady Pirates used their bench liberally in the second half to wear down their opponents. Thriteen of the 14 players who played scored as Hampton held a commanding 38-12 advantage from its reserves.
“I was especially happy with the defensive effort,” said Hampton Coach Walter Mebane. “We were able to force some bad shots and turnovers and it helped build a lead. The idea was to get the starters a good run and then get our reserves some playing time. I think that it was an overall good team effort.”
The Lady Spartans, who struggled to score all season, got a game-high 13 points from Rachel Payne and 10 from Tashawna Higgins.
“We are in the process of bringing this program back to a level of excellence,” said Norfolk State Coach Tara Owens, in her second year. “It is going to take time but we are confident we are going to get it done.”
She continued, “Hampton is a good team and we knew that we would have to play an outstanding game to compete with them.”
GAME NOTES: Hampton defeated Delaware State in overtime in its only meeting in Hampton, VA.