NEW ORLEANS, La. – The Hampton University women's basketball team fell Thursday night in the championship game of the DoubleTree Classic, as host Tulane won the game and the title 66-53 at Fogelman Arena.

The Lady Pirates (9-3) have lost two of their last three games, but have still won 33 of their last 39 games dating back to last season.

Senior guard Jericka Jenkins (Lancaster, Texas) 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 (Virginia Beach, Va.) poured in eight points to go along with a team-high 10 rebounds.

Both Jenkins and Phelps were named to the All-Tournament Team.

The game was a defensive struggle from the opening tip, as neither team scored until Jenkins drained a pair of free throws with 13:57 left in the first half. The first field goal of the game came at the 12:58 mark, when Tiffany Dale hit a layup to tie the game at 2-2.

Brett Benzio followed with a jumper at the 12:15 mark to put Tulane up 4-2, before Jenkins nailed a 3-pointer with 11:43 left in the half to give Hampton a 5-4 lead – what would be the Lady Pirates' final lead of the night.

A layup from senior guard Choicetta McMillian (Fairfield, Texas) tied the game at 15-15 with 3:54 left in the first half, before Benzio answered with a pair of free throws at the 3:34 mark to give the lead back to Tulane.

The Green Wave took a 21-19 lead into the half.

The Lady Pirates closed to within one, 24-23, with 16:36 to play after a jumper from sophomore forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.), but Tulane jumped back out to a six-point lead with 13:29 to play, going up 31-25 after a jumper from Olivia Grayson.

A Tyna Snow jumper with 7:57 to play gave Tulane its first double-digit lead of the night at 46-36, before the Lady Pirates answered with five unanswered points to close to 46-41 after a Phelps jumper with 7:04 to play.

Jenkins hit a jumper with 3:49 left to pull Hampton within five again, 51-46, but the Lady Pirates would get no closer.

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.

Hampton is 0-3 this season when being out-rebounded.

Grayson, the Tournament MVP, led Tulane with 26 points – 24 of which came in the second half – while Benzio added 21 points and a team-high 13 rebounds.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Monday, when they return to the HU Convocation Center to take on East Carolina at 7 p.m. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.