HAMPTON, Va. – Once again, the Hampton University women's basketball team is one of the nation's top defensive teams, according to national Division I rankings that were released on Monday.

Through games on Dec. 9, the Lady Pirates (7-3, 2-0 MEAC) rank 11th in the nation in scoring defense – holding opponents to just 48.7 points per game. Hampton, in its fourth season under head coach David Six, has held its last three opponents under 50 points.

In fact, the Lady Pirates held UMBC to just 36 points on Friday.

The Lady Pirates have held seven of their 10 opponents so far this season under 50 points. Only one opponent has reached 70 points this season: Florida Gulf Coast on Nov. 24.

Hampton is also 11th in the nation in turnover margin at +7.8, while also ranking 24th in field goal percentage defense – holding teams to just 32.7 percent shooting (167-for-510) on the season.

The Lady Pirates are also 29th nationally in scoring margin, beating opponents by 17.1 points per game.

In the individual rankings, senior forward Keiara Avant (Chesapeake, Va.) is sixth in the nation with six double-doubles so far this season. Dating back to the 2011-12 season, Avant has 11 double-doubles in her last 18 games.

Through 10 games, Avant is averaging 16.2 points and 9.8 rebounds per game, both team highs.

Junior guard Nicole Hamilton (Hampton, Va.) also ranks in the top 50 nationally in assists, averaging 5.3 assists per game to sit 41st among all Div. I players. She had nine assists on Friday at UMBC, and she dished out a season- and career-high 12 assists against Chicago State on Nov. 18.

The Lady Pirates will return to action on Dec. 20-21, when they head to Toledo, Ohio to compete in the Toledo Women's Basketball Tournament. 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.