TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Hampton University men's basketball team got its first road win of the season by using a balanced attack to take down Florida A&M 74-59 at the Lawson Center on Saturday.
 
Hampton (10-18, 6-8 MEAC) was led by senior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.), who scored a team- and game-high 22 points, while senior point guard Mike Tuitt (Bronx, N.Y.) added 19 points and seven rebounds. 
 
Senior guard Christopher Tolson (Laurel, Md.) also scored in double figures with 11 points and seven rebounds.
 
In the beginning, both teams went back-and-forth with neither team leading by more than two points. Hampton then got things moving, using a 9-2 run to take a 10-point lead, 21-11, at the 9:34 mark in the first half.
 
With the Pirates up by eight points, 29-21, Tuitt started a 16-2 run to put Hampton up 22 point, 45-23, with with 31 seconds to play in the first half. Florida A&M's Natthaniel Drayton hit a 3-pointer with eight seconds left to cut Hampton's lead to 45-26 headed into the half.
 
Hampton opened the second half with three quick buckets before FAMU had time to react to make the score 51-30 with 18:26 to play.
 
Sparked by Chris Watson, the Rattlers went on a 20-0 run to get back within one point of the Pirates, 51-50, at the 10:17 mark. FAMU's run was stopped by Tolson, who converted a 3-point play at the 9:58 mark. Tolson's play sparked a 9-0 run for the Pirates to put Hampton back up by 10 points.
 
FAMU would get as close as five points following three free throws by Avery Moore with the score 62-57 with 5:30 left to play, but the Pirates used a 12-2 run to win by 15 points.
 
Although the game had five lead changes, the Pirates never trailed after taking a two-point lead at the 13:16 mark in the first half.
 
Florida A&M (8-20, 6-8 MEAC) was led by Amin Stevens, who finished with a team-high 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Reggie Lewis added 12 points.
 
Yannick Crowder also scored in double figures with 10 points while grabbing eight rebounds.
 
Hampton closed out the game shooting 41 percent (24-for-58) from the floor and 65 percent (19-for-29) from the charity stripe. The Pirates also had a season-low six turnovers.
 
The Pirates will be back in action on Monday night as the travel to Daytona Beach, Fla. to face the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman at 7:30 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.