Saturday, February 9
Dover, Del.
4:00 p.m.
Hampton University
58
at
67
Delaware State
West's game high 19 points were not enough as the Pirates fell 67-58 to DSU. (Photo by Mark Sutton)
PIRATES SUFFER SECOND MEAC LOSS OF SEASON IN 67-58 LOSS TO DELAWARE STATE HORNETS
2.10.08 | Men's Basketball
DOVER, Del. – Senior guard Rashad West’s 19 points weren’t enough as the Hampton University Pirates suffered their second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference loss of the season in a 67-58 defeat at the hands of Delaware State University here on Saturday.
With the loss, the Pirates fell to 13-8 overall and 7-2 in conference play while Delaware State improved to 9-12 overall and 6-3 in MEAC play. Moreover, the loss dropped the Pirates to one game behind Morgan State University, which leads the league with an 8-1 conference record.
“I thought we did everything that we wanted to do tonight but keep the ball out of Roy Bright’s hands,” said HU head coach Kevin Nickelberry. “He’s a great player and it showed tonight because he can make shots that most players cannot make and we knew this coming into the game.”
In the first half, the Pirates shot an impressive 54 percent from the floor, but they still trailed the Hornets by one point at the half at 30-31. The major different in the half was the fact that the Hornets were 57 percent from beyond the three-point arc.
“There were some things that I wanted to do a little differently in the first half, but when your team shoots 54 percent, what more can you ask for? It just seemed like they hit a few more shots than we did,” stated Nickelberry.
In the second half, Hampton shot only 41 percent (12-of-29) from the field while Delaware State shot 47 percent (11-of-23) from the floor. The Pirates only shot 33 percent from the charity stripe and 30 percent from beyond the three-point arc on the night. DSU shot 50 percent from beyond the three point arc in the second half.
“In the second half, I think that they just went to the free throw line and made their free throws. They were 10-of-12 while we were just 1-of-3,” added Nickelberry. When you make that many trips and make the shots, it pays off in the end.”
In a game that saw eight ties and nine lead changes, both teams shot 47 percent from the field on the night, but in the end, Delaware State managed to hit more shots down the stretch than the Pirates did.
No player other than West scored in double-figures for Hampton while four players netted 10 or more points for the victorious DSU Hornets. Bright led the Hornets with 18 points on 4-of-6 shooting from beyond the three-point arc.
“Delaware State has a great team and we have lost two conference games to two great teams,” said Nickelberry. We just have to learn from this loss and get ready for Monday night’s game against the University of Maryland Eastern Shore.”
The Pirates will be back in action on Monday, February 11, as they face the Hawks of the University of Maryland Eastern Shore live on ESPNU. Tipoff is slated for 9:00 p.m.
For more information, one can log onto the Pirates’ web page at www.hamptonpirates.com or contact the HU Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5811.
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