Dec. 31, 2011

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East Carolina at Hampton Jan. 2, 2012 | 7 p.m. ET Hampton, Va. (HU Convocation Center) TV: None

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GENERAL INFORMATION Date Jan. 2, 2012 Location Hampton, Va. (HU Convocation Center) TV None Twitter http://www.twitter.com/ecuwomenshoops EAST CAROLINA PIRATES Record 6-6 Ranking NR Last Game L, 64-57 vs. Lafayette Head Coach Heather Macy Career Record: 137-60 East Carolina Record: 22-21 HAMPTON LADY PIRATES Record 9-3 Ranking NR Last Game L, 66-53 at Tulane Head Coach David Six Career: 54-22 Hampton Record: Same

HAMPTON, Va. - East Carolina closes its non-conference slate Monday evening, facing Hampton at the HU Convocation Center. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.

ECU looks to snap a tough three-game skid, which includes losses to nationally-ranked opponents North Carolina and Delaware. The Lady Pirate side will prove a tough challenge for the Pirate offense, as Hampton ranks among the nation's leaders in scoring defense at 50.6 points per game allowed.

East Carolina fell to Lafayette 64-57 in its most recent outing at the Terrapin Classic in College Park, Md. Tatiana Chapple posted a career-best 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive end. Chareya Smith paced the Pirates offensively with 14 points as Britny Edwards and Shala Hodges also reached double figures at 13 and 12 respectively. Additionally, Kristine Mial recorded a season high with six steals.

East Carolina put up 13 more shots than Lafayette, but knocked down just 21 of their 67 tries from the field for a 31-percent showing. The Leopards, comparatively, were 22 of 54 to fire at a 41-percent clip. Lafayette also held the upper hand in rebounding 45-40 and handed out 18 assists on their 22 baskets.

The Pirates were able to force 22 Leopard turnovers and grab 17 steals while committing just 12 miscues of their own. Edwards, in the top 50 nationally in blocked shots per game, netted two of East Carolina's three stuffs.

Meanwhile, the Hampton Lady Pirates dropped a 66-53 decision to host Tulane in the championship game of the Doubletree Challenge in New Orleans, La.

Senior guard Jericka Jenkins led the way with 28 points despite 7-for-22 shooting. She hit three of her nine 3-pointers and all 11 free throws, while also dishing out seven assists. Junior forward Ariel Phelps poured in eight points to go along with a team-high 10 rebounds.

The Lady Pirates shot 29.8 percent (17-for-57) from the floor and made five of their 14 3-pointers, while also hitting 14 of their 18 free throws. Hampton also scored 14 points off of 15 Tulane turnovers.

The Green Wave (11-2) shot 41.8 percent (23-for-55) from the floor and out-rebounded the Lady Pirates 47-31. Tulane scored 28 points in the paint, compared to just 18 such points for the Lady Pirates.

Rebounding will be a key component of Monday's tilt as Hampton is 0-3 this season when getting outworked on the glass.

THE SERIES: HAMPTON
East Carolina and Hampton meet for the fifth time in a series that began in 1985. ECU owns a 5-1 lead but lost to the Lady Pirates last season by a 69-63 count at Minges Coliseum.

ECU AGAINST THE MEAC
East Carolina holds an all-time mark of 34-12 (.739) against the current members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. The Pirates have faced Bethune Cookman (2-0), Coppin State (3-1), Delaware State (5-0), Florida A&M (1-0), Hampton (5-1), Howard (5-1), Maryland Eastern Shore (1-0), North Carolina A&T (10-5) and South Carolina State (3-3).

NATIONALLY RANKED
With the fourth release of the national statistics rankings, East Carolina finds itself pretty high on the list in a few categories. The Pirates are eighth in steals per game, 13th in scoring defense, 25th in turnover margin and 38th in scoring margin. Additionally, junior Britny Edwards is ranked 50th in blocked shots per game.

SHALA'S SCORING SURGE
After averaging just 4.5 points per game last season, junior Shala Hodges is enjoying a breakout year offensively. She is putting in a team-best 11.9 points per contest and netted a career-high 28 points against Virginia Intermont. Hodges also leads the team at the foul line, converting 37 of her 48 attempts.

THE STARTING 10
It seems like the Pirate bench gets deeper with each passing season and is an extension of the starting five. East Carolina's bench has outscored its opponents' reserves in 83 of the last 105 contests.

THREE ME With three three-point field goals drained against Lafayette, East Carolina has made at least one triple in 54-straight games. The Pirates have knocked down two or more treys in each contest of the streak.

UP NEXT FOR EAST CAROLINA
ECU opens its Conference USA schedule Thursday, Jan. 5 when it travels to UCF for a 7 p.m. tilt. The Pirates look to snap a three-game skid at the UCF Arena.