NORFOLK, Va., – Hampton, the No. 3 seed, withstood a late charge from Morgan State, the No. 6 seed, in women’s quarterfinal action of the 2018 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament on Thursday at the Norfolk Scope Arena.
The Lady Pirates advance to Friday’s semifinal, where they will face No. 2 seed Bethune-Cookman at 2 p.m.
Mikayla Sayle led Hampton with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Monnazjea Finney-Smith added 13 points and seven boards and Ashley Bates had 14 points.
Allina Starr also had seven rebounds.
Hampton opened the game on a 17-5 run, culminating in a K’lynn Willis 3-point play, and the Lady Pirates led 24-11 after the first quarter. But the Lady Bears outscored Hampton 18-12 in the second quarter, cutting the margin to just seven – 36-29 – at the half.
Bates hit two free throws with 5:14 left in the third quarter to give the Lady Pirates a 44-34 lead. But Morgan State went on a 17-9 spurt that spanned into the fourth, and a Brennan Farrar free throw at the 4:05 mark cut the lead to 53-51.
Bates answered with a layup to spark a 7-0 run, and the Lady Pirates never relinquished control from there.
Hampton shot 43.1 percent (22-for-51) from the floor, compared to 39.3 percent (22-for-56) for Morgan State. The Lady Bears committed 19 turnovers, which Hampton converted into 24 points.
Farrar led Morgan State with 14 points.
Courtesy: MEAC
