The Game
The Delaware State women's basketball team (8-17, 5-7 MEAC) welcomes the five-time defending Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) regular season champion Hampton Pirates (11-14, 9-3 MEAC) to Memorial Hall Monday night (5:30 p.m.), in what will be the Lady Hornets' second to last home game of the season. Monday night's contest also marks the first time Lady Hornet first-year head coach Barbara Burgess will square off against her former squad, where she served as an assistant the previous six seasons (2009-15).
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The Opponent
» Hampton Pirates (11-14, 9-3 MEAC)
Currently in a two-way for second place in the MEAC standings with North Carolina A&T (12-13, 9-3 MEAC) behind the Morgan State Bears (12-13, 10-3 MEAC), the Pirates have dropped two out of their last three after recording a season-best six-game winning streak. One of those losses occurred on Saturday by way of a 68-64 road defeat suffered at the hands of Coppin State. Spearheading HU's attack is junior standout Malia Tate-DeFrietas, who has garnered MEAC Rookie of the Year (2013-14) and Player of the Year (2014-15) over the past two seasons. This year has been no different as she leads the conference in scoring (20.4 ppg), in addition to being named MEAC Player of the Week six times. Forward Kayla Lupoe, meanwhile, is second (10.2 ppg) on HU in scoring, but leads the team in rebounding (7.4 rpg) and blocks (39). In seven seasons at the helm, head coach David Six holds a 157-62 overall mark, including five MEAC Tournament crowns and two MEAC Coach of the Year awards.
The Series (DSU Trails 12-34)
The Lady Hornets have lost a staggering 14 in a row to Hampton, with their last victory against the Pirates occurring at home on Feb. 9, 2008 by way of a 58-36 win. Adding insult to injury, the last three losses for DSU have been by double-digits, headlined by a 40-point defeat (79-39) at home on Jan. 14, 2014. Last season, however, the Lady Hornets on the road nearly erased a 19-point halftime deficit, but a season-high 39 turnovers was the difference in the 74-61 result.
A Win Would Mean…
» DSU would push its home record to 7-6.
» Delaware State would match its highest conference win total since 2012-13.
» The Hornets would be 5-2 at home in MEAC play this season.
Last Time Out…
DSU defeated the visiting Norfolk State Spartans (2-11, 2-11 MEAC) Saturday afternoon for a much needed 64-61 victory, thanks to guard Mikah Aldridge pouring in a career-high 26 points (8-of-13) and forward NaJai Pollard chipping in with 17 points (8-of-14). This win for the Lady Hornets not only snapped a four-game skid, but it resulted in their first victory over Norfolk State since a 58-48 triumph on Feb. 23, 2013. The Spartans, on the other hand, have now dropped two out of its last four after starting the season at 0-19.
Who's Hot?
Forward NaJai Pollard is averaging 21.5 points, 10.0 rebounds, 3.0 blocks and 2.0 steals per contest over her last two games… Forward/center Nikkei Blackburn is nearly averaging a double-double of 7.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per contest over her last six games… Guard Aaliyah Davis is averaging 11.3 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.1 steals over her last eight games… Guard Mikah Aldridge leads the MEAC in free throw percentage (.841).
Taking What's Theirs
The Lady Hornets are currently second in the MEAC in total steals (225) and steals per game (9.0), thanks to five players having at least 20. Spearheading DSU's attack are guards Mikah Aldridge (42) and Bri Justice (34). The pair also ranks sixth (1.9) and eighth (1.7) in steals per game in the conference, respectively.
At This Point Last Season…
The Lady Hornets were 5-20 (2-10 MEAC), coming off a 74-61 loss at Hampton.
Coming Up Next…
The Columbia Blue & Red will hit the road for the final time for a two-game swing, beginning this Saturday afternoon (2 p.m.) against rival UMES. Earlier this season, the Hawks pulled off a comeback 70-61 victory at Memorial Hall on Feb. 13.
