Final Stats

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team picked up its third straight win Saturday night, beating South Carolina State 64-53 at the HU Convocation Center.

Junior guard Kwame Morgan II (Largo, Md.) led the Pirates with 14 points – going 7-for-9 from the free throw line – while junior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) added 12 points and sophomore forward Koron Reed (Philadelphia, Pa.) scored a career-high 10 points, all in the first half.

Junior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.) pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds and blocked three shots. Pellum added a team-high five assists.

After Omar Sanders hit a trey with 19:21 left in the second half to give SCSU a 25-24 lead, the Pirates went on an 8-2 run to take a 33-27 lead on a Pellum 3-point play. A 7-2 Bulldog run tied the game at 37-37 with 12:08 to play after Joe Ikhinwin hit a jumper, and Rio Pitt tied the game again at 39-39 at the 11:26 mark with a jumper.

But the Pirates responded, going up 44-39 with 9:42 to play on a Pellum trey. A layup from senior guard Brandon Tunnell (Wilmington, Del.) with 4:47 to play put Hampton up 52-46. Senior forward Charles Funches (Jersey City, N.J.) sank a layup with 1:09 to play to put the Pirates up 56-47.

The Pirates went on to make eight of 10 free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

The Pirates (18-5, 8-2 MEAC) shot 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from the floor, making 16 of 23 free throws.

SCSU shot just 27.9 percent (17-for-61) from the floor, though the Bulldogs did out-rebound the Pirates 43-38. The Bulldogs (6-16, 2-7 MEAC) made just seven of their 23 3-point attempts.

Tyvon Williams led SCSU with 12 points, while Sanders added 10 points and Pitt pulled down 13 rebounds.

After Williams hit a trey at the 12:34 mark in the first half to tie the game at 7-7, the Pirates went on a 7-0 run to take a 14-7 lead after a Reed layup with 9:20 left in the half. SCSU battled back to force four ties in the last five minutes of the half.

Ikhinwin hit a layup with 1:22 left in the half to tie the game at 22-22.

The game was tied 22-22 at the intermission, with the Pirates shooting 34.5 percent (10-for-29) from the floor in the first half while holding SCSU to 24.1 percent (7-for-29). The Bulldogs did out-rebound the Pirates 25-20 in the first half.

Reed scored a career-high 10 points off the bench to lead the Pirates at the break, while Williams led SCSU with six points at the half.

The Pirates will return to action on Saturday, when they head to Echols Hall to take on Norfolk State in the Battle of the Bay rematch at 6 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.