URBANA-CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – The Hampton University men's basketball team suffered through a cold stretch in the second half Wednesday evening en route to a 73-55 loss to Illinois at the State Farm Center.
 
The Pirates (4-6) had their three-game winning streak snapped.
 
Redshirt junior guard/forward Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) and junior guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) each had 12 points to lead the Pirates, while Meikle added seven rebounds. Guard Quinton Chievous (Chicago, Ill.) added 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.
 
The Pirates shot 34.8 percent (23-for-66) from the floor and hit seven of their 15 3-pointers (46.7 percent). Hampton went just 2-for-9 from the free throw line. Hampton turned Illinois over 16 times, resulting in 13 points.
 
The Illini jumped out to a 7-0 lead to open the game, and Illinois took its largest lead of the half at the 5:25 mark after a trey from Aaron Cosby gave the Illini a 27-11 lead. Hampton answered with 10 unanswered points, cutting the lead to 27-21 on a Powers layup with 3:20 left in the half.
 
But Illinois closed the half on a 10-4 run, taking a 37-25 lead into the locker room after Kendrick Nunn hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
 
The Illini held a 47-31 lead with 15:31 left in the contest, before the Pirates went on a 9-3 run to cut the lead to 50-40 with 12:20 left to play following a jumper from Meikle. Illinois answered by scoring the next 15 points to grow the lead to 65-40 with 6:14 remaining.
 
A jumper from junior guard Reginald Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) with 5:28 left was Hampton's first basket since 12:20.
 
The Illini held a 73-47 lead with 2:26 to play, but the Pirates closed out the game by scoring the final eight points, cutting the game to its final margin after a trey from freshman guard Donald Ralls Jr. (Philadelphia, Pa.) with 12 seconds left.
 
The Illini (8-3) shot 42.9 percent (21-for-49) from the floor and made nine of 21 treys (42.9 percent). Illinois was also 22-for-26 from the free throw line (84.6 percent), and the Illini held a 38-35 edge on the glass.
 
Nunn led three players in double figures with 16 points.
 
The Pirates will return to the HU Convocation Center on Friday to take on Tennessee 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.