SC State Lady Bulldogs Drop MEAC Opener to Hampton

Tiara Knotts scored a team-high 13 points in the loss

Box Score

Hampton, Va.—Junior guard Tiara Knotts was the only SC State Player to score in double-figures as the Lady Bulldogs dropped its 2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opener to Hampton, 73-41.

SC State, who fell to 2-4 overall and 0-1 in the MEAC, was plagued by turnovers and poor shooting throughout the game. The Lady Bulldogs had 24 total turnovers and shot just 29 percent from the field on the day.

The Lady Bulldogs started the game aggressive, jumping out to a four point lead, 1-5, by the 17:40 mark of the first half. Hampton then used a 9-0 run over the next three minutes to take a 10-5 lead and control of the game. SC State pulled within two points at 12-10 with just over 13 minutes remaining. The Lady Pirates increased its lead to 16 points, heading into the half up 38-22.

The second half of the contest belonged solely to Hampton as they increased their lead to 22, 44-22, by the 17:04 mark of the second half. SC State used a 5-0 run to decreased the margin to 17, 44-22, at the 15:22 mark but the Lady Pirates quickly regained the momentum. Hampton, who is the two-time defending MEAC champions, closed the game with a 29-15 run to defeat the Lady Bulldogs by 32, 73-41.

Knotts scored a team-high 13 points for SC State. Junior Paris Alston had a balanced outing as she finished the game with six points, six rebounds and three blocks. Junior Tiana Hemphill pulled in a game-high seven rebounds in the loss.

Jericka Jenkins led Hampton with a game-high 19 points and seven assists. Melanie Warner had 12 points-six rebounds and Ariel Phelps contributed 10 points with six rebounds as Hampton improved to 5-1 overall and 1-0 in the MEAC.

SC State will remain in the Tidewater area on Monday (Dec. 5) when they take on the Spartans of Norfolk State. The Lady Bulldogs will continue its six-game road swing as they will face Winthrop (Dec. 10), University of South Carolina (Dec. 14) and Coastal Carolina (Dec. 18) before returning home to host UNC-Asheville on Monday, Dec. 19.

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