HAMPTON, Va. — New Lady Pirates head coach Tamisha Augustin couldn't have asked for a better debut. Her Hampton squad (1-0) got off to a great start with a 65-55 victory over Bowie State (0-1) in the season-opener. Working with a rebuilt roster that included six new players on the 14-player roster, the 2024-25 edition of the Lady Pirates took control in the game's final minutes to post the win.
Hampton got off to a slow start and trailed 7-2 minutes into the contest. The deficit grew to as many as seven, 15-8. But Hampton rallied and scored the quarter's final three points to close to 15-11. Bowie State shot 50 percent from the field in the opening quarter, led by Destiny Ryles, who had seven points.
The Lady Pirates scored the first six points of the second quarter to take the lead. Hampton's Jasha Clinton hit a three-pointer as the Lady Pirates closed to within two, 15-13. Following a steal by CeCe Thomas, Clinton's lay-up tied the game 15-15. Moments later, a basket by Arina Nikishina gave the Lady Pirates their first lead of the game 17-15.
Hampton outscored Bowie State 17-9 in the second quarter to take a 28-24 lead to the locker room. The Lady Pirates shot a sizzling 58.3 percent from the field in the quarter while limiting the Bulldogs to 20.0 percent shooting. Clinton, held scoreless in the first quarter, scored five points in the second stanza. Nine players scored for the Lady Pirates in the first half. Bowie State's Mia Smith had 10 points and Ryles had seven, all in the first quarter.
They hit five of their first seven shots in the second half but couldn't pull away as the Bulldogs shot 63 percent from the field in the first five minutes of the third quarter. Bowie State retook the lead 41-40 after a trey by Shelby Ricks with 3:09 to go in the period. But a trey by Tiani Abrams put the Lady Pirates back on top 43-41 at the end of three quarters.
Bowie State scored the first five points of the final quarter to lead 46-43. But a bucket by Aisha Dabo and a trey by Clinton put the Lady Pirates back on top, 48-46, with 7:34 to go. An 8-0 Lady Pirate run and four Bowie State turnovers helped the Lady Pirates to a 51-46 advantage with 5:57 left. But a 3:22 Hampton scoreless streak allowed the Bulldogs to tie the game at 51-51 with 4:39 left. Spurred by Clinton, Hampton took control and outscored Bowie State 14-4 the rest of the way clearing the way for the victory.
Clinton the Virginia Class 5 Region A Player of the Year while playing at Princess Anne High came to Hampton after three highly-successful years at Temple. Clinton led all scorers with 18 points --- with 11 in the fourth quarter --- with six assists. Aisha Dabo, Janea Dublin, and Le'Asia Foreman each scored eight points apiece for the Lady Pirates. Smith led the Bulldogs with 20 points and Ryles finished with 15.