Final Stats

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Pirates of Hampton University got their first win of the season in the Dick's Sporting Goods NIT on Tuesday night at the Lawrence Joel Veteran Memorial Coliseum, beating the Eagles of Winthrop University 45-44

 

“It was an ugly win, but a win is a win,” said Pirates head coach Ed Joyner. “I saw some good thing and some things that we can go back and work on for the next game against Fordham.”

 

Hampton improved to 1-1 on the season, while the Eagles dropped to 1-2 on the year. Both teams will await the announcement to find out where they play next week as the NIT continues.  

 

The Pirates got off to another slow start in the first half against Winthrop, as they shot just 30 percent from the floor, making just nine of 30 shots. Despite their poor shooting, the Pirates benefited from the poor shooting of the Eagles, as they made just five of 24 shots to shoot a season-low 20 percent from the floor in the first half.

 

However, Hampton did score 14 points in the paint and had 11 second-chance points in the first half due to their nine forced turnovers and six steals. The Pirates held a 23-16 lead at the half.

 

The Pirates came out moving slow in the second half, scoring just four points in the first four minutes when Charles Funches converted a three-point play and Danny Agbelese made a layup at the 15:57 mark to make the score 28-20 in favor of the Pirates.

 

From that point on, Hampton went on a drought while the Eagles went on a 13-0 run until the 8:26 mark in the second half when Brandon Tunnell drove through the lane and converted a three-point play to make the score 33-30 in favor of Winthrop.

 

A defensive battle ensued, as the two teams would go back and forth with each other until Kwame Morgan drained a deep 3-pointer with 3:34 remaining in the game to pull the Pirates within one point with the score 41-40 in favor of the Eagles.

 

Funches would come back and hit a jumper with 2:30 left to give the Pirates their final lead of the game at 42-41; following a turnover by Winthrop's Matt Morgan, Tunnell ran the shot clock down to its final ticks and hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key to make it a four-point game at 45-41.

 

“Brandon, Chuck (Funches), and Kwame all made some key shots down the stretch for us and they all were big to either get us back in the game or give us the lead at some point in the game,” said Joyner.

 

Winthrop was not going out without a fight, as Andre Jones made a 3-pointer with 1:16 left to pull the Eagles back within one point.

 

The two teams would trade positions without any scores but time ran out as Matt Morgan attempted a jumper that was blocked by Darrion Pellum as time expired to give the Pirates their first win.

 

“I felt really good with them going up against our defense at the end of the game, and we did what we were supposed to do in the end,” Joyner said.

 

The Pirates shot just 34 percent from the floor, making just 17-of-50 shots taken, but they scored 20 points in the paint and 14 points off 13 Eagle turnovers and 13 second-chance points as they finished the game with 10 offensive rebounds.

 

Morgan led the Pirates with 12 points and Pellum added 10 to guide the Pirates to their first NIT win in school history.

 

Winthrop was lead by Reggie Middleton, who finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds for the Eagles, and George Valentine chipped in 12 points of his own.

 

The Pirates will await their next opponent in the NIT, but will travel to the Bronx, N.Y. to face off against Fordham University on Friday at 7 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.hamptonpirates.com.