DeKALB, Ill. – A cold second half doomed the Hampton University men's basketball team Monday night at the NIU Convocation Center, as Northern Illinois defeated the Pirates 83-51.
 
The Pirates fell to 6-7 on the season.
 
Redshirt junior guard/forward Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) recorded his second straight fouble-double, pouring in a team-high 18 points to go along with a career high 16 rebounds. He was 7-for-12 from the floor.
 
Junior guard Reginald Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) added 10 points.
 
The Pirates shot 33.3 percent (16-for-48) from the floor and hit five of 16 3-pointers (31.3 percent). Hampton held a 39-37 edge in rebounds, but turned the ball over 25 times.
 
Fourteen of those turnovers came in the second half.
 
The Huskies opened the game on a 10-2 run, but the Pirates cut that lead to 15-10 at the 13:39 mark of the first half after a pair of free throws from redshirt junior forward Jervon Pressley (Charlotte, N.C.). A 3-pointer from junior guard Brian Darden (Hampton, Va.) tied the game at 19-19 at the 10:31 mark.
 
Meikle hit a jumper at the 9:23 mark to tie the game at 21-21, before NIU scored six of the next nine points to take a 27-24 lead. Meikle cut the lead to 33-30 with a dunk at the 4:15 mark of the first half, before the Huskies went on an 8-2 run to take a 41-32 lead with 1:32 left in the half.
 
Junior guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) hit three free throws with 54 seconds left in the half to cut NIU's lead to 41-35, but the Huskies ended the half on a 5-0 spurt to head into the locker room with a 46-35 lead.
 
NIU led 52-39 after a free throw from Meikle with 17:05 left in the second half, but the Huskies scored the next seven points to go up 59-39.
 
Guard Quinton Chievous (Chicago, Ill.) hit two free throws with 6:37 left to cut NIU's lead to 67-48, but the Huskies ended the game on a 16-3 run.
 
The Pirates shot just 23.8 percent (5-for-21) in the second half.
 
Northern Illinois (5-5) shot 47.5 percent (28-for-59) from the floor and hit five of 17 3-pointers (29.4 percent).
 
Darrell Bowie led three Huskies in double figures with 22 points.
 
The Pirates will be in Spartanburg, S.C. on Friday to take on USC Upstate at 4 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.