BALTIMORE, Md. – The Hampton University men's basketball team rallied to pick up its third straight win on Monday night, beating Coppin State 59-52 at the Physical Education Complex.

Freshman guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.)  the reigning MEAC Rookie of the Week, led the Pirates (8-13, 5-3 MEAC) with 14 points and five assists, while junior guard/forward Du'Vaughn Maxwell (Manhattan, N.Y.) added 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.

The Eagles led by as many as six in the second half, taking a 42-36 lead with 12:50 to go on a Patrick Cole jumper. The Pirates scored the next six points, tying the game at 42-42 at the 9:51 mark after a layup from senior guard Aaron Austin (Newport News, Va. ).

Andre Armstrong gave Coppin State a 48-44 lead with 7:35 to play with a free throw, but the Pirates answered with a 6-0 run to take a 50-48 lead at the 6:09 mark after Powers hit a pair of free throws. Though the Eagles tied the game at 50-50 on two Armstrong free throws with 6:04 left, Hampton took the lead for good with 5:09 to play after a layup from senior forward Wesley Dunning (Washington, D.C.).

A Powers jumper with 1:05 to play put the Pirates up 58-52, and he added a free throw with 17 seconds left to push the game to its final margin.

The Pirates jumped out to a 12-6 lead to open the game, thanks to a 3-pointer from freshman guard Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.)  But Coppin State answered with a 17-4 run to take a 23-19 lead at the 6:55 mark of the first half after Michael Murray hit a free throw.

Zachary Burnham hit two free throws at the 4:09 mark to put Coppin State up 29-22, but the Pirates closed the half on a 7-1 run to go into the locker room down 30-29 at the break.

The Pirates shot 43.4 percent (23-for-53) from the floor and won despite struggles at the free throw line – going just 9-for-18 at the charity stripe. Hampton held a 39-38 edge on the glass and scored 15 points off of 14 Coppin State turnovers.

Coppin State (5-19, 2-7 MEAC) shot just 27.5 percent (14-for-51) from the floor – including a 5-for-27 (18.5 percent) effort in the second half.

Armstrong led three Eagles in double figures with 15 points.

The Pirates will return to action on Thursday, when they head to Savannah, Ga. to take on Savannah State at 7 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.