BALTIMORE, Md. – The Pirates of Hampton University scored 41 points in the second half on their way to a 62-57 victory over Morgan State on Monday to give the Bears their first Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference loss at Hill Field House since 2006-07 season.

 

The Pirates took their first led of the second half with 8:22 remaining off a 3-pointer by junior guard Vincent Simpson (Philadelphia, Pa.) with the score 46-43 after Hampton trailed by as many as 12 points at one point. 

 

Once the Pirates took the lead, there was no looking back. The Bears would tie the game back up at 57 off a free throw by Reggie Holmes with 1:08 remaining in regulation, but Hampton would take the led back at the free throw line when freshman Chris Tolson (Laurel, Md.) made one of three free throws to make the score 58-57.

 

“The guys never gave up and they came out in the second half and fought the entire game and I am proud of them for that,” said Pirates head coach Kevin Nickelberry. “We played much better defense in the second half and did a better job of protecting the ball and we made it a little faster and we got the job done.”

 

Hampton would seal the deal at the free throw line, scoring four more points at the charity stripe, making the final score 62-57.

 

With the win, the Pirates improve to 10-9 overall and 4-2 in conference play, while the Bears fall to 10-10 overall and 5-2 in the MEAC.

 

Hampton shot 30.4 percent from the floor on the night, making 17-of-56 shots taken, and they were 64.5 percent from the free throw line on the night, making 20-of-31. The Pirates were able to score 16 points off the Bears’ 14 turnovers, had 16 second chance points and 35 points off the bench.

 

The Pirates were led by Simpson and freshman Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.), who tied for a team- and game-high 13 points on the night. Mike Freeman (Alexandria, Va.) and Donte Harrison (Brooklyn, N.Y.) both had nine rebounds each for the Pirates.

 

The Bears shot 30.2 percent from the floor on the night and were led by Marquise Kately and Reggie Holmes, who scored 13 points each, and they were aided by Kevin Thompson, who recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

 

The Pirates will be back in action on Saturday, Jan. 31 when they host the Spartans of Norfolk State University in the Battle of the Bay, basketball style. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m.

 

“Norfolk State is a great team and we are going to have to come out and play Hampton basketball against them if we want to win and we know it will be a battle,” said Nickelberry.

 

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.hamptonpirates.com.