Box Score

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University women's basketball team lit up the second half en route to a 69-54 win over the Gators of the University of Florida on Friday at the HU Convocation Center.

It was the first time the Lady Pirates (5-4) have ever beaten a team from the Southeastern Conference.

Hampton held Florida to just 22 second-half points, overcoming a five-point halftime deficit for its fourth straight win. Junior forward Melanie Warner (Tallahassee, Fla.) led four Lady Pirates in double figures with 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds. Senior forward Quanneisha Perry (Decatur, Ga.) also recorded a double-double with 14 points and a team-high 11 rebounds.

Junior guard Jericka Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas) was the third Lady Pirate to record a double-double, pouring in 14 points and dishing out a career-high 12 assists. Junior guard Choicetta McMillian (Fairfield, Texas) added 14 points.

The Lady Pirates opened the second half on a 9-0 run, taking a 36-32 lead with 15:07 to play after Jenkins hit a jumper. Hampton would roll from there, extending the run to 21-4 with 11:10 to play after Jenkins hit a pair of free throws following a technical foul against the Florida bench.

When Warner hit a 3-pointer with 6:05 to play, it capped a 33-11 run for the Lady Pirates.

Hampton shot 43.1 percent (25-for-58) from the floor and out-rebounded Florida 38-30. The Lady Pirates also forced the Gators into 19 turnovers, recording 10 steals and converting them into 22 points.

Florida shot 41.7 percent (20-for-48) from the floor, but the Gators (8-3) cooled off from behind the arc in the second half, hitting just one of eight 3-point attempts in the second half to finish the game 8-for-18 (44.4 percent) from distance.

After McMillian hit a 3-pointer with 5:26 left in the first half to cut Florida's lead to 22-21, the Gators went on a 10-0 run to go up 32-21 on a layup from Deaundra Young at the 1:43 mark. The Lady Pirates answered with a 6-0 run to end the half, culminating in a jumper from junior guard Bernadette Fortune (Virginia Beach, Va.) from the free throw line with one second on the clock.

Florida took a 32-27 lead into the half.

The Lady Pirates shot 42.9 percent (12-for-28) from the floor in the first half, while also out-rebounding Florida 19-15. Hampton had 11 first-half assists, and Perry led the team with eight points, while Warner pulled down a team-high six first-half rebounds.

The Gators shot 46.2 percent (12-for-26) in the first half, including a 7-for-10 effort from behind the arc. Jordan Jones had a team-high 13 points at the half, going 4-for-5 from 3-point range.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 19 when they welcome Indiana Purdue Fort Wayne (IPFW) to the HU Convocation Center at 2 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.