Lady Pirates Fall to Texas In Opening Round of NCAA Tournament

Cincinnati, Ohio - Hampton University had their six-game winning streak and season ended on Sunday with a 90-46 loss at the hands of the University of Texas in the opening round of the NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament in the Fifth Third Arena on the campus of the University of Cincinnati in Cincinnati, Ohio.

HU (23-9) was overpowered and outplayed on Sunday, as the Longhorns of UT (26-5) sped away to a 32-point halftime advantage (52-20). The Longhorns used 19 Hampton turnovers to produce 28 points off turnovers.

"We faced a very good, a very good team today," stated Coach Bibbs after the loss. "Anyone who has seen us play this year knows that today wasn't Lady Pirates basketball. But take nothing away from our opponent. Texas is a physical and fast team."

The Longhorns struggled at first, but then opened up the floodgates with speed, power and aggression unseen by the Lady Pirates this season-leading to a quick 20-point deficit. In the second half, UT opened up a 44-point advantage, thanks in part to a bench that was clearly a dominant factor. All 14 UT players played, producing a 42-4 advantage for bench scoring. The Longhorns' Annissa Hastings was a key component in the bench scoring.

Carried by an offense that creates shots off of turnovers with easy transition baskets, UT was able to drain an already small and not-so-deep HU bench. Led by junior forward Heather Schreiber, UT was able to dominate the post with a 44-8 advantage in the paint.

"Size was clearly a factor today, but we weren't scared," stated HU junior forward Nicole Brathwaite. "We weren't able to get shots into the basket, and they were a reason for that on the inside."

The game was only close after the first media timeout with 16:24 left in the first half when the Lady Pirates trailed just 8-4. The lead quickly jumped out to the decided 44-point outcome.

"I think that our speed and size really did frustrate them from what they wanted to do today," expressed UT's Tai Dillard. "I want to commend them on playing the way they did today. They played with heart and determination."

Senior LaShondra Dixon's 15 points, two assists and two steals led HU in scoring on the day. Behind her was Texas native, Bianca Johnson, with 12 points and seven rebounds.

For the Longhorns-and their largest victory in school history-Schreiber's 17 points and nine rebounds led them. Finishing in double-digits behind her was Annissa Hastings (16 points) and Tai Dillard (12 points).

"It hurts to end your career at a place like this with a loss like this one," stated HU senior-and second all-time leading scorer in school history-LaShondra Dixon. "Don't let this score fool you. We had a great season, and just got beaten by a better team today. I enjoyed this year, and my career. I want to thank everyone at Hampton University for the best four years of my life."