DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Vincent Simpson hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:02 reminding in the game to put the Pirates up by two points at 50-48 with 59.9 seconds left on the clock. Once the Pirates had the lead off Simpson’s shot, they never looked back as they went on to take the conference win 53-51 over Bethune-Cookman.  

 

Simpson (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored 17 to help the Pirates remine undefeated in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play, as they improved to 2-0 in the MEAC and 7-7 overall. The Wildcats dropped to 7-8 on the season and 1-1 in MEAC play after the tough home loss.

 

“Our guys just kept fighting tonight and they never give up, and that’s why we were able to battle back and win the game tonight,” said Pirates head coach Kevin Nickelberry. “Every time we play down here it is a battle because you never know what might happen.”

 

The first half of play between the Pirates and the Wildcats was nothing that anyone would have imagined as Hampton had 11 turnovers in the first half of play alone. BCU turned those 11 turnovers into six points.

 

The Pirates were led by Simpson and freshman Chris Tolson (Laurel, Md.), who had six points each for the Pirates. Hampton shot 46.7 percent from the floor while the Wildcats’ shot 45 percent from the floor and eight turnovers of their own. Bethune-Cookman had three players with five points in the first half.

 

In the second half, the Pirates were not going out without a fight. Bethune-Cookman went up by as many as nine points in the second half. Hampton shot 40 percent from the floor on just eight-of-20 shots in the second half which proved to be just enough for the Pirates in the end. BCU was nine-of-21 in the second half while shooting 42.9 percent from the floor on the night.

 

“I feel that we did just enough in the second half tonight to pull out the win and get it done,” said Nickelberry. “Simpson hit some big shots for us down the stretch, and Brandon Tunnell did a great job of driving to the middle and getting to the free throw line late in the game.”

 

The Pirates were led by Simpson, who scored a game-high 17 points, with Tolson scoring 12 points and sophomore Brandon Tunnell (Wilmington, Del.) dropping 10 of his own to aid in the victory. Hampton forced 21 turnovers by BCU and scored 20 points off those turnovers. The Pirates also scored 30 points off the bench and16 points in the paint on the night. Hampton made 15-of-35 shots on the night to shot 42.9 percent from the floor on the night in the victory.

 

The Cats were lead by CJ Reed, who scored 12 points. Also scoring in double figures were Alexander Starling, who dropped 11 points, and John Holmes finished with 10 on the night for Bethune-Cookman. The Wildcats closed out the night making 18-of-41 shots from the floor while shooting 43.9 percent from the floor.

 

Nickelberry on facing Florida A&M on Monday night: “FAMU is going to be a tough game and it going to be about the same as it was here tonight, but the big difference is it will be on TV so it will be good and interesting match-up.”

 

The Pirates will travel to Tallassee, Fla. to face the Rattlers of Florida A&M on Monday night live on ESPNU with a tip-off time slated for 7:03 p.m.

 

For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirats.com.