Monday, January 14
Hampton, Va.
8:00 p.m.
Hampton University
69
vs
63
Florida A&M
West scored game high 23 points as the Pirates take another MEAC victory. (Photo by Mark Sutton)
WEST’S 3-POINTER SPARKS PIRATES PAST FAMU RATTLERS, 69-63
1.14.08 | Men's Basketball
HAMPTON, Va. – A game that started out as if it would be a landslide win by the Hampton University Pirates over the Rattlers of Florida A&M University, ended up as a nail-biter. In fact, it took a falling three-pointer and two made free throws by senior guard Rashad West to help the Pirates escape with a 69-63 win at the HU Convocation Center in a big MEAC confrontation.
The Pirates dominated the Rattlers of Florida A&M in all aspects of the game in the first half. Up by as many as 15 points, the Pirates answered the call of being the “big bullet” that head coach Nickelberry often talks about.
“I thought we played a good first half,” said Nickelberry. “In the second half, they went small and it gave us some problems adjusting. A lot of teams in the MEAC will be smaller than us, but we must find a way to adjust.”
Hampton shot 60 percent from the floor, making 14 out of 23 shots from the field. The Pirates also connected on 72 percent of their shots from the charity stripe, making 8 out of 11 shots. FAMU, meanwhile, hit just 32 percent of their shots from the floor and 55 percent from the free throw line.
Heading into halftime with a 13-point lead at 39-23, the Pirates had 16 points in the paint and 14 points off the bench. The Rattlers scored10 points in the paint and only nine points off the bench.
The Pirates were on the scoreboard first in the second half and would continue their dominance for the rest of the period. With 9:07 left in the second half, the Rattlers got a burst of energy and came within four of tying the Pirates. With 3:28 left in the second half, FAMU tied Hampton at 61-61. However, West and company were not about to let the Rattlers walk away winners in their house Within a minute remaining, West scored five points to put the Pirates up by five, sealing the win for Hampton.
West ended with a game-high 23 points, followed by Michael Freeman with 14 points. Hampton ended the game with 28 points in the paint, 20 points off the bench and 12 second chance points.
The Pirates will head down to Orangeburg, S.C. to face the Bulldogs of South Carolina State University on Saturday, Jan. 19 in a double-header with the Lady Pirates. Game time is 3 p.m.
After the game, Coach Nickelberry said, “We’ve got a tough challenge on the road vs. S.C. State this weekend. We haven’t had much success there. It’s a challenging place for us. We must go out and figure out how to go on the road and give our best basketball. On the same token, I still was happy with the team aspect tonight. Every night we have had different guys to step up. Tonight it was Rashad, Vinnie Simpson and Mike Freeman. We also had a lot of guys contribute off the bench. Right now, we have to focus on having one heartbeat as a team.”
For more Information on players, games and updates, contact the HU Sports Information Office at 757-727-5811 or visit the website at www.hamptonpirates.com.
Wednesday, August 26
Tuesday, July 28
Thursday, April 09
Tuesday, March 31
