BALTIMORE, Md. – Despite resiliency and a hard fight, the Hampton University men's basketball team suffered its first conference road loss on Monday, falling 94-92 in double overtime to Morgan State in Hill Field House in front of a national ESPNU audience.
 
The Pirates fell to 11-11 overall and 6-3 in MEAC play.
 
Senior forward Du'Vaughn Maxwell (Manhattan, N.Y.), the reigning MEAC Defensive Player of the Week, led the Pirates with 25 points and 11 rebounds, going 9-for-15 from the floor and 6-for-11 from the free throw line.
 
Sophomore guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) added 15 points, while sophomore guard Brian Darden (Hampton, Va.) chipped in 11 points.
 
The Pirates led by as many as 10 in the second half, going up 48-38 with 14:58 left in regulation after a pair of free throws from Powers. But Morgan State went on a 17-4 run to take a 55-52 lead at the 10:14 mark after a 3-pointer from Justin Black.
 
The Bears' lead grew to seven, as Morgan State took a 65-58 lead with 3:35 left in the second half after a free throw from Anthony Hubbard. But the Pirates clawed their way back, seizing momentum as the clock wound down – culminating in a 3-pointer at the top of the key from senior guard Ramon Mercado (Hollywood, Fla.) with 3.5 seconds left to tie the game at 70-70.
 
Black's buzzer-beater on the other end was off the mark.
 
The Pirates, facing their second straight overtime game, trailed 76-74 in the first extra session after Hubbard hit a layup with 3:01 left on the clock. But Powers cut into the lead with a free throw, and Maxwell gave the Pirates a 77-76 lead with a layup with 1:46 left.
 
Maxwell added a free throw with 1:22 left to give the Pirates a 79-77 lead.
 
A Darden free throw with seven seconds left in the first overtime gave Hampton an 80-78 lead, but Morgan State answered with a pair of free throws from Donte Pretlow with three seconds left. Darden tried a trey at the buzzer, but the ball sailed.
 
A 3-point play from Torin Childs-Harris with 3:05 left in the second overtime gave the Bears an 83-80 lead, before Maxwell answered by hitting three free throws to tie the game at 83-83 with 2:29 left.
 
Four straight points gave Morgan State an 87-83 lead with 1:12 left, before the Pirates closed the gap to 87-85 on two Powers free throws with 53 seconds left. But Blake Bozeman hit a deep trey 31 seconds later to give Morgan State a 90-85 lead.
 
Kyle Thomas gave Morgan State a 92-87 lead with seven seconds left, before Maxwell hit a layup to cut the lead to 92-89. Thomas went 1-for-2 at the line to give the Bears a 93-89 lead, but a Darden trey with two seconds left cut that lead to 93-92.
  
Shaquille Duncan hit one of two free throws at the other end to put Morgan State up 94-92, but the Pirates couldn't answer in the waning seconds.
 
The Pirates shot 39.1 percent (27-for-69) from the floor and hit five of their 15 3-pointers. They also dominated Morgan State on the glass, holding a 61-46 rebounding edge.
 
Morgan State (8-12, 6-2 MEAC) shot 41.5 percent (27-for-65) from the floor – including a 3-for-6 clip in the second overtime – and hit seven of their 20 3-pointers. Neither team was great from the free throw line; Hampton shot 60.0 percent (33-for-55), while the Bears were 33-for-60 (55.0 percent).
 
Black led four Bears in double figures with a game-high 26 points.
 
A combined 10 players fouled out of the game.
 
The Pirates will return to the HU Convocation Center on Saturday to take on rival Howard at 6 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.