NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team couldn't overcome a second-half rally by Norfolk State on Saturday, as the Spartans beat the Pirates 74-67 in a crowded, noisy Echols Hall.

The Pirates (5-13, 2-3 MEAC) dropped their third straight game.

Freshman guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) led the Pirates with 20 points, while sophomore center Emmanuel Okoroba (Garland, Texas) added 13 points and junior guard/forward Du'Vaughn Maxwell (Manhattan, N.Y.) recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 12 points and 10 rebounds.

The Spartans led 9-6 with 17:19 left in the first half after a Malcolm Hawkins 3-pointer, but the Pirates scored the next four points to take a 10-9 lead at the 16:00 mark on an Okoroba free throw. After Norfolk State took an 11-10 lead with 15:49 left in the first half on a Jamel Fuentes jumper, senior guard Aaron Austin (Newport News, Va.) hit a 3-pointer at the 14:18 mark to put Hampton up 13-11.

Kris Brown hit a jumper at the 10:37 mark to tie the game at 15-15, but the Pirates answered with a 10-2 run to take a 25-17 lead on a Powers 3-pointer with 7:31 left in the half. Pendarvis Williams cut that lead to 25-22 with a trey at the 6:45 mark, but junior guard Ramon Mercado (Hollywood, FL.) answered with a 4-point play with 6:18 left to put Hampton up 29-22.

The Spartans scored six straight points to cut the lead to 29-28 at the 4:02 mark on a Williams free throw, but Hampton closed the half on a 10-4 run, going up 39-32 after Powers hit a jumper with eight seconds left in the half.

Hampton shot 46.4 percent (13-for-28) in the first half, and Powers led the way with seven points before the break.

Norfolk State opened the second half on a 7-2 run, closing the lead to 41-39 on a 3-pointer from Brown with 15: 41 left in the second half. Rashid Gaston then tied the game at 41-41 with a layup with 14:44 left to play.

Powers gave the Pirates a 45-43 lead with a floater in the lane with 13:38 to play, then put the Pirates up 47-45 with a jumper with 12:44 remaining. Okoroba hit a layup with 8:16 left in the second half to give Hampton a 51-49 lead, before Brandon Goode converted a 3-point play with 7:51 to play to give the Spartans a 52-51 lead.

That play kicked off a 6-0 Norfolk State run to put the Spartans up 55-51, and the run ballooned to 9-2, when Williams converted a 3-point play with 6:01 left to put Norfolk State up 58-53. Rob Johnson added a layup at the 5:51 mark to give the Spartans a 60-53 lead.

A Gaston layup with 5:00 to play gave the Spartans a 64-54 lead. In all, Norfolk State went on a 15-3 run after Hampton's last lead.

Johnson hit a trey with 3:47 to play to put Norfolk State up 67-56. The Pirates clawed back to within six, cutting the lead to 67-61 on a Powers jumper with 1:53 to play. Powers scored all five points in the Pirates' spurt, as the Spartans got cold from the free throw line.

Despite Norfolk State's late troubles at the free throw line – just 3-for-11 down the stretch – the Spartans escaped to remain unbeaten in conference play.

The Pirates shot 43.1 percent (25-for-58) from the floor, but hit just four of their 20 3-pointers (20.0 percent) and 13 of their 21 free throws (61.9 percent). Hampton also turned the ball over 18 times, to just 10 for the Spartans.

Hampton held a 40-35 edge on the glass.

Norfolk State (12-10, 6-0 MEAC) shot 46.4 percent (26-for-56) from the floor and hit five of its 15 3-pointers (33.3 percent). The Spartans only shot 48.6 percent (17-for-35) from the free throw line.

Williams led Norfolk State with 16 points.

The Pirates will return to action on Wednesday, when they head to Orangeburg, S.C. to take on South Carolina State 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.