RALEIGH, N.C. -- When Hampton guard Rachel Butler beat UMES for the second and final time this season, Hawks coach Fred Batchelor saw the future for his young team.
Butler, a 5-foot-8 senior guard, scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half and steadied the Pirates down the stretch for a 56-49 victory over UMES yesterday in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference women's tournament quarterfinal at the RBC Center.
"The difference in today's game was Rachel Butler," Batchelor said. "I believe we have a few Rachel Butlers in terms of the type players they can grow into."
Batchelor was speaking primarily of Hawks sophomore forward April McBride (18 points, nine rebounds), but he could have been speaking of a number of the team's young, talented players, including freshmen Casey Morton, Queenique Tyler and Chena Parker.
Butler also played a key role in a 68-64 win in Princess Anne on Feb. 11, and yesterday she claimed her first conference tournament win here for Hampton (18-12).
The Hawks hit just three of 19 three-pointers and took only nine free throws, compared to 30 for Hampton. Batchelor barely contained himself when he addressed the free-throw disparity.
"I think it's very difficult to compete against a team that gets three times as many free throw attempts as you do in a close game like that," he said.
And despite ending the season on a three-game slide, Batchelor was buoyant about the Hawks' future.
"I love our foundation," he said. "I think we're one or two players away from being a dominant program in this league."
Morgan State (20-11) lost in another women's quarterfinal yesterday, 67-49, to Delaware State (18-13). The Hornets converted 23 Morgan turnovers for 25 points.
It was the eighth straight time Delaware State had held Morgan under 50 points. The Bears scored 49 points in all three losses to the Hornets this season.
The victory advanced the Hornets to today's 2:30 p.m. semifinal against second-seeded Coppin State, a 64-51 winner over South Carolina State on Wednesday.
ken.murray@baltsun.com