New York, NY – It was all Hampton Universitiy in the 2007 Big Apple Classic as the Bison of Howard University (3-5 overall; 0-1 MEAC) battled the Pirates (4-3 overall; 1-0 MEAC) for the claim of the “Real HU.” It would seem as the Pirates will keep the title a little while longer in the battle between the two great institutions as they cruised to a 65-31 victory.

 

A game that many thought would be interesting and exciting was anything but that as the Pirates coasted to a 34-point victory over the Bison in front of over 7,800 fans at Madison Square Garden in New York City, NY. Last year at the Big Apple Classic, it was the Bison of Howard who came out on top of the Pirates.  

 

The Pirates took the tip in the beginning of the game and never looked back once. There was not one lead change and the Bison managed to tie the score just once in the first half. Hampton scored 34 points off 28 Howard turnovers, 28 points in the paint, 15 second chance points, and 20 points from their bench players in the victory. The Pirates led by as many as 15 points in the first half and held the Bison to a season low 13 first half points. Hampton out-rebounded Howard 60-27 and forced 28 turnovers. The Pirates only made 25-of-65 shots (38.6%) from the floor and only 6-of-21 (28.6%) from beyond the three point arc. However, the Pirates held the Bison to a season low 31 total points while forcing 28 turnovers in the victory.

 

Hampton was led by senior guard Rashad West, who scored a game-high 18 points, and sophomore forward Matthew Pilgrim, who added 11 points.  Paul Kirkpatrick led the Bison with 10 points and four rebounds in a losing effort.

 

With the victory, the Pirates are now on a three-game winning streak.  The clash with Howard was their first conference game of the season. The Pirates will look to extend that streak on Wednesday, December 5, as they travel to Fairfax, Va. to face their third Colonial Athletic Association opponent of the season against George Mason. Game time is set to tip-off at 7:00 p.m.

 

For more information on Hampton men’s basketball, or for any HU sports news, go to www.hamptonpirates.com or contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5811.