Box Score

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team squeaked past Norfolk State to win the Battle of the Bay on Saturday at the HU Convocation Center, pulling away late for a 63-56 victory.

Kyle O'Quinn hit a free throw with 2:06 to play to tie the game at 54-54, but the Pirates hit seven of eight free throws down the stretch to get back into the win column and win their second straight contest against the Spartans.

Senior guard Brandon Tunnell (Wilmington, Del.) hit a free throw with 1:28 to play to give Hampton a 55-54 lead, and the Pirates never looked back.

Down the stretch, Norfolk State (2-13, 1-3 MEAC) went 3:32 without a field goal.

Junior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) added the exclamation point with 18 seconds to play; after the Pirates (13-4, 3-1 MEAC) broke Norfolk State's press, Pellum drove the lane and scooped the ball into the net to put Hampton up 61-56.

Junior guard Kwame Morgan II (Largo, Md.) led Hampton with 20 points on 6-for-17 shooting, while Pellum added 16 points. Junior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.) pulled down a team-high eight rebounds to go with five blocked shots – all in the first half.

Senior forward Charles Funches (Jersey City, N.J.) added seven rebounds.

The Pirates shot 33.9 percent (20-for-59) from the floor, making seven of their 21 3-pointers. Hampton also went 16-for-21 (76.2 percent) from the free throw line. Hampton forced Norfolk State into 18 turnovers – while only committing 13.

Norfolk State out-rebounded Hampton 42-40, and the Spartans shot 35.1 percent (20-for-57) from the floor. But the Spartans only made one of their 16 3-point attempts, and they only went 15-for-22 (68.2 percent) from the free throw line.

O'Quinn led Norfolk State with 19 points on 7-for-12 shooting, while Aleek Pauline added 17 points. Both players also had a team-high seven rebounds each.

Norfolk State took a 27-23 lead into the half, thanks in large part to an 8-0 run toward the end of the half – a run punctuated at the 3:19 mark after Brandon Goode hit a free throw to give the Spartans a 26-17 lead.

But the Pirates ended the half on a 6-1 run, including a 3-pointer from Pellum and a layup by Tunnell.

Morgan led the Pirates with 10 points at the half.

Pauline led Norfolk State with nine first-half points, while O'Quinn had eight at the break.

The Pirates will return to action on Monday, when they take on North Carolina A&T at the HU Convocation Center at 8 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.