Final Stats

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Jimmy Williams scored 10 of his team-high 12 points in the second half as South Carolina State held on for a 57-56 win over Hampton University in a thrilling Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference men's quarterfinal game at the Lawrence Joel Memorial Coliseum. The Bulldogs (17-13), the No. 2 seed, advance to the semifinal round on Friday at 8 p.m., where they will play the winner of the Bethune-Cookman-Norfolk State quarterfinal match.

 

The game was a competitive match with neither team being able to establish a decided advantage. There were five ties and four lead changes. The Bulldogs led 29-25 at the half on the strength of nine points by Josh Jackson.

 

The second half offered much of the same. SCSU went up by seven, but the Pirates rallied each time to keep it close.

 

It all came down to last three minutes of the game. Williams scored on an acrobatic shot with 2:53 to give the Bulldogs the lead at 55-53. Vincent Simpson (Philadelphia, Pa.) made one of two from the free throw line to cut the deficit to 55-54. Jessie Burton scored on a floater to make it 57-54 in favor of SCSU.

 

Simpson was fouled on the ensuing possession and he made both free throws to get Hampton within one at 57-56 with 2:01 remaining.

 

From there, both teams missed shots or made turnovers to set up the game-ending drama.

 

The Bulldogs could have put the game away on their last possession, but Williams opted to shoot a jumper rather than take the ball to the basket. It gave the Pirates (16-16) a chance to win the game.

 

“The play was designed for him (Williams) to get the ball close to the basket, but he's a freshman and he went away from the basket instead,” explained a spent SC State head coach Tim Carter. “We were fortunate that we were able to hold on.”

 

Simpson, who scored 14 of his points in the second half, set up Brandon Tunnell (Wilmington, Del.) for the game winner. It looked good when it left his hands, but hit the front of the rim and bounced away as the horn sounded.

 

“It was a good shot, an open shot,” said Hampton head coach Kevin Nickelberry. “Simpson made the right decision. I wanted to win or lose on that last shot. This is what March Madness is all about.”

 

Tunnel finished with 11 points, while Josh Jackson and Bennett came off the bench to score 11 and 10 respectively.

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.