BALTIMORE, Md. – The Hampton University men's basketball team could never overcome a rough shooting performance to fall 83-66 to Coppin State at the Physical Education Complex Saturday afternoon.
 
The Pirates (6-11, 2-2 MEAC) were led by seniors Darrion Pellum and Mike Tuitt, who combined for 51 of the Pirates' 66 points, but it was not enough to hold off a Coppin State team that had four players in double figures.
 
Pellum (Hampton, Va.) led the Pirates with 26 points while making 10 of 23 shots taken from the floor, while Tuitt (Bronx, N.Y.) added a career-high 25 points of his own.
 
Hot hands seemed to be the subject of the first half as the Eagles shot 46 percent (13-for-28) from the floor behind Logan Wiens, who scored 17 of the 40 points in the first half. Wiens made five of seven shots taken from the floor, including three 3-pointers.
 
Senior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.) dropped seven points, while grabbing a team-high 11 rebounds in the first half.
 
The game was back-and-forth early, as there were four ties in the first half alone, with the last tie coming at the 2:50 mark at 30-30. Following a technical foul called against the Pirates, the Eagles went on a 10-0 run to end the first half and head into the recess leading 40-30.
 
The Pirates shot just 36.7 percent (11-for-30) in the first half, scoring 13 points off the bench. The Eagles on the other hand connected on 13 of 38 shots (46.5 percent), scoring 16 points in the paint.
 
In the second half, the Pirates would pull as close as within three points, with the score 51-48 following a dunk by Pellum with 13.19 left in the game. Hampton would stay in the game behind the hot hand of Tuitt, who would score the next six points.
 
Hampton would only get as close as six points following a dunk by Agbelese to make the score 65-59 with 7:43 left to play. The Pirates' next basket would not come until the 4:14 mark by Tuitt.
 
Coppin State ended the game on a 13-5 run.
 
The Eagles (8-9, 3-1 MEAC) shot 45.3 percent (24-for-53) from the floor, making seven of their 15 3-pointers and 28 of their 36 free throws.
 
Wiens lead Coppin State with 23 points, while Tony Gallo finished with 15 points. Akeem Ellis and Antonio Williams also scored in double figures with 12 points each. Williams grabbed 21 rebounds for the Eagles.
 
The Pirates will be back in action on Monday night, when they face Morgan State live on ESPNU at 7 p.m. at Hill Field House. 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.