HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team suffered its first MEAC loss of the season on Saturday at the HU Convocation Center, as North Carolina A&T escaped with a 64-61 win.
 
The Pirates fell to 8-9 overall and 4-1 in MEAC play.
 
Redshirt junior guard/forward Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) led the Pirates, scoring 18 points and grabbing 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. Meikle was 8-for-16 from the floor. Guard Quinton Chievous (Chicago, Ill.) added nine points.
 
The Pirates shot 40.6 percent (26-for-64) from the floor and went 4-for-22 (18.2 percent) from 3-point range. Hampton turned the Aggies over 16 times, leading to 16 points.
 
After junior guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) gave Hampton a 9-8 lead with a jumper at the 14:30 mark, the Aggies went on a 10-1 run to take an 18-10 lead after a jumper from Bruce Beckford. N.C. A&T later took a 23-14 lead at the 5:51 mark.
 
A 7-2 run from Hampton cut the lead to 25-21 at the 3:17 mark after Powers hit a jumper, but the Aggies stretched out the lead again. A 3-pointer from near halfcourt as the halftime buzzer sounded from junior guard Reginald Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) gave the Aggies a 32-28 halftime lead.
 
Meikle led the team with nine points and six rebounds at the break.
 
The Aggies opened the second half on a 15-7 run, taking a 45-35 lead with 13:42 left in the contest after a free throw from Steven Burrough. But the Pirates answered with a 7-2 run of their own, cutting the lead to 47-42 with 11:37 left after a free throw from Johnson.
 
Beckford hit two free throws with 9:39 left to play to give N.C. A&T a 53-44 lead, before the Pirates scored the next nine points, tying the game at 53-53 with 4:38 to play after a one-handed dunk from Chievous.
 
Khary Doby's free throw with 3:40 left capped a 5-0 spurt for the Aggies, giving them a 58-53 lead.
 
The Aggies led 64-61 with 22 seconds left, and the Pirates had three chances to tie the game and send it into overtime, but all three shots missed the mark.
 
The Aggies (5-14, 2-3 MEAC) shot 52.2 percent (24-for-46) from the floor and hit five of their 10 3-pointers. N.C. A&T also held a 34-33 edge on the glass.
 
Beckford led the Aggies with 24 points.
 
The Pirates will return to action on Monday, hosting North Carolina Central at 8 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.