NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team picked up its fourth straight win in front of a sold-out Echols Hall on Saturday night, beating Norfolk State 86-72.

The Pirates (19-5, 9-2 MEAC) were led by 26 points from junior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) on 8-for-16 shooting and 6-for-11 from the free throw line. Junior guard Kwame Morgan II (Largo, Md.) added 19 points, while senior guard Brandon Tunnell (Wilmington, Del.) scored 15 points.

Senior forward Charles Funches (Jersey City, N.J.) added nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.

Pellum gave the Pirates a 35-32 lead with 18:39 to play with a 3-pointer; Hampton wound up scoring the first six points of the second half after trailing by one at the break. Morgan hit a jumper at the 17:09 mark to cap a 9-3 run and put the Pirates up 40-35.

Aleek Pauline cut Hampton's lead to four, 47-43, with 12:12 to play after hitting two free throws, but the Pirates answered with a 10-4 run, punctuated by a pair of junior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.) dunks, to take a 57-47 lead.

Morgan sank a trey with 3:21 left to put Hampton up 75-62.

The Pirates shot 42.4 percent (25-for-59) from the floor and made 29 of 44 free throws (65.9 percent). Both teams corralled 33 rebounds, but the Pirates forced NSU into 18 turnovers, converting them into 26 points.

Hampton also held an 18-8 edge in second-chance points.

The Spartans shot 44.7 percent (21-for-47) from the floor, but made just three of 14 3-pointers. Kyle O'Quinn led NSU with 17 points and 11 rebounds, while Pauline had 15 points and Pendarvis Williams added 10 points.

The Spartans (7-16, 5-6 MEAC) took a 32-31 lead into the half, despite a jumper from Pellum as the clock ran down on the first half. The Pirates shot 34.3 percent (12-for-35) from the floor in the first half, while the Spartan shot 47.6 percent (10-for-21) in the first half.

NSU did commit nine first-half turnovers.

Pellum had eight first-half points to lead the Pirates, while Pauline led the way with eight at the break for the Spartans.

The Pirates will return to action on Monday, when they head to Greensboro, N.C. to take on North Carolina A&T at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPNU. 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.