HATTIESBURG, Miss. – The Hampton University women's basketball team used its calling card – a suffocating defense – to upend Southern Mississippi in its season opener on Friday, winning 78-41 at Reed Green Coliseum.

The Lady Pirates (1-0) forced the Golden Eagles into 27 turnovers, scoring 34 points off of them. Hampton also held Southern Miss to 30.2 percent shooting (16-for-53) and held a 52-40 edge in rebounding.

Hampton out-rebounded the Golden Eagles 25-19 on the offensive end, and the Lady Pirates scored 26 second-chance points.

Southern Miss (0-1) also missed 14 of its 21 free throws.

Senior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) led the Lady Pirates with a career-high 26 points and 13 rebounds. Sophomore center Verdine Warner (St. Vincent, Grenadines) pulled down a team-high 18 rebounds – including eight on the offensive end – to go along with 17 points and four blocks.

Junior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) also had 17 points.

Southern Miss hung tough early, cutting the Lady Pirates' lead to 10-9 with 12:22 left in the first half following a jumper from Tanecka Carey. But Hampton stepped on the gas, starting with a Warner jumper to put Hampton up 12-9.

When Carey hit a jumper with 8:34 left in the first half to cut Hampton's lead to 17-11, it would be the Golden Eagles' last field goal of the half. From the 12:22 mark, the Lady Pirates closed out the first half with a 26-3 run, going up 36-12 with 15 seconds left in the half after a jumper from junior forward Alyssa Bennett (Hampton, Va.).

That score held going into the intermission, and Southern Miss shot just 17.4 percent (4-for-23) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.

Warner hit a jumper with 18:55 left in the second half to put Hampton up 40-14, and the Golden Eagles climbed to within 21, 42-21, with 17:08 left to play after a free throw from Jerontay Clemons – but that was as close as Southern Miss would get the rest of the way.

A 9-0 Lady Pirates run made the score 51-21 after an Avant jumper, and Avant later added a pair of free throws at the 14:05 mark to give Hampton a 53-23 lead. A fastbreak layup from Hamilton with 12:45 to play gave the Lady Pirates a 57-23 lead.

Hampton's largest lead came with 2:51 to play after sophomore guard Kenia Cole (Burtonsville, Md.) hit a pair of free throws to put the Lady Pirates up 78-36.

The Lady Pirates shot 41.1 percent (30-for-73) from the floor, while hitting 17 of their 24 free throws. Hampton had nine blocks as a team, as well as 15 steals.

Carey led Southern Miss with 14 points.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Monday, when they square off against Mississippi State in Starkville, Miss. 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.