Hampton Uses Defense and Balanced Scoring to Down Coppin State Nicole Mitchell 03/11/11 Winston-Salem, NC—March 11—Hampton University combined balanced scoring and a strong second half defense into a 70-46 win over Coppin State in the semifinals of the MEAC women’s basketball tournament at the Joel Coliseum. The Lady Pirates (24-6), the top seed, advance to the tournament championship for the third straight season. They will take on the Howard in the championship game at 5 p.m. on Saturday. After holding a 28-23 lead at the half, Hampton employed the same formula that it has used to win 24 games. Jericka Jenkins, an All-MEAC first team selection, led the team in the first half with 10 points, and continued to provide scoring and leadership in the second half. Jenkins tallied 12 of her game-high 22 while also setting up teammates Quanneisha Perry (12 points), Melanie Warner (12 points) and Choicetta McMillan (10 points). Ranked among the leaders in assists nationally, Jenkins finished with five assists and only two turnovers. “When you are sitting on the sidelines, you can see more than the players can,” said Hampton head coach David Six, the 2010-11 MEAC Coach of the Year. “It’s hard to convey to them from a distance what’s going on. There was a lot of confusion in the first half on our part because of some of the things they were doing offensively on the picks and rolls, and some of their changing defenses. But we were able to make some adjustments in the second half.” In addition to their scoring, Perry, the two-time MEAC Defensive Player of the Year and Warner, also played an important role with their rebounding. Warner finished with a game-high 11 rebounds for a double-double while Perry grabbed eight as the Lady Pirates held a 48-30 advantage in rebounding while also limiting the Lady Eagles (13-17), the Number 5 seed, to 32-percent shooting for the game. “Defensively, I thought were solid even when they gave us some different looks,” said Six. “We’re a defensive minded team. That is what we rely on at Hampton.” After shooting poorly in the first 20 minutes, the Pirates got into their groove, connecting on 45 percent (14-of -31) and converting on 13 of 14 free throw attempts. “I have to give Hampton a lot of credit,’ said Coppin State Coach Derek Brown. “They turned up the defense in the second half and dominated my young group. That was the difference.” The Lady Eagles rely heavily upon freshmen and sophomores and it showed in the second half as they missed several close-in shots, appeared tentative and made several unforced errors. “When you rely on so many young players like we have, you have performances like this,” said Brown. “Most of this group has never been in this situation before. It was a good learning experience for them.” Shawntae Payne led the Lady Eagles with nine points while 2010-11 MEAC Rookie of the Year Larissa Carter, and Crystal Whittington each contributed seven points.