Box Score
Hampton, Va. – Travis Jones nailed a three-pointer with :02 remaining on the clock in double overtime to give the visiting Bulldogs of South Carolina State a 61-60 victory over Hampton in a pivotal Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) matchup Saturday evening. With a win the Pirates (13-14, 9-7 MEAC) could have moved into a tie for second place, however, they fall into a fifth place tie with Monday’s opponent North Carolina A&T. The Bulldogs moved into fourth place with a league mark of 10-7, 12-15 overall.
In a game marred by poor shooting, turnovers, fouls and inconsistent play on both sides, it was no surprise that the game needed extra time to be decided. The two teams totaled 61 turnovers, 58 fouls and shot a combined 32% from the field, going just 10-of-48 from three-point range.
The Bulldogs led for the first 10 minutes of the second half before Junior Pehoua tied things up at 31 with a breakaway dunk. Hampton led by as many as four, but the Bulldogs evened the score on a layup by Chris Miller-Williams with 3:26 to play in regulation. Both teams went scoreless over the final three minutes to send the game into the first overtime knotted at 42 apiece.
Mike Freeman gave the Pirates a three-point lead at 48-45 with 57 seconds to go in overtime, but the Bulldogs stayed aggressive on the offensive end and consequently got to the free throw line. Jason Flagler and Julius Carter each made 1-of-2 from the line to keep the Pirates in front by just one. Hampton had several chances to seal the game but Rashad West and Vincent Simpson each failed to make a pair of free throws. With 10 seconds to play Simpson missed the first free throw and made the second to increase Hampton’s lead to 50-48. However, Adrian Woodard fouled Derrick Davis with :04 on the clock and Davis calmly toed the line and made both free throw attempts to help the Bulldogs send the game into a second overtime.
Freeman again put the Pirates in front 59-56 with a three-point play with just over a minute to go. SCSU answered with a basket on a spinning layup by Dale Carn who was forced into action after Miler-Williams and Carter each fouled out. Down one and forced to foul, the Bulldogs sent West, an 80% free throw shooter on the season to the line. Once again West made just one to set the stage for Jones’ shot.
SCSU got the ball off of West’s missed free throw with 11 seconds on the clock and Davis penetrated the top of the key drawing two Hampton defenders. He then found a wide open Jones on the right wing and he knocked down his third three of the game with :02 on the clock to give the Bulldogs the win.
The Pirates shot themselves in the foot too many time and weren’t able to overcome 33 turnovers, 3-of-24 shooting from behind the arc and a 19-of-34 effort from the line. Freeman finished with a game-high 21 points for Hampton, while Jones led the bulldogs with 15.
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