HAMPTON, Va. - Despite leading for much of the evening, the Hampton University men's basketball team fell 59-52 to North Carolina Central on Monday night at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates fell to 8-10 overall and 4-2 in MEAC play.

Redshirt junior guard/forward Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) led the Pirates with a game-high 26 points, going 11-for-19 from the floor and grabbing a team-high eight rebounds. He also had two blocks and a steal.

Meikle was the only Pirate in double figures.

The Pirates shot 35.2 percent (19-for-54) from the floor and went 1-for-17 (5.9 percent) from behind the arc. Hampton also out-rebounded the Eagles 37-27, held a 32-22 edge in points in the paint, and turned NCCU over 17 times.

Meikle converted a 3-point play with 13:43 left in the second half that gave the Pirates a 38-28 lead, their largest lead of the second half, and he hit a jumper at the 12:03 mark that gave Hampton a 40-31 lead.

But the Eagles went on a 17-4 run, taking a 48-44 lead with 6:00 left after a layup from Anthony McDonald. Meikle hit a pair of free throws 32 seconds later to cut the lead to 48-46, but from that point on, NCCU led by at least two possessions throughout.

In fact, NCCU led 59-49 with 38 seconds left after a free throw from Karamo Jawara.

NCCU outscored Hampton 41-24 in the second half.

The Pirates jumped out to a 6-2 lead to open the game following a jumper from Meikle at the 13:38 mark - the first half was a remarkably low-scoring affair - before the Eagles went on a 7-0 run to take a 9-6 lead.

But the Pirates answered with a 16-2 run to take a 22-11 lead after a layup from junior guard Brian Darden (Hampton, Va.) at the 4:38 mark. A pair of free throws from senior center Emmanuel Okoroba (Garland, Texas) later put Hampton up 24-13.

Junior guard Reginald Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) gave the Pirates their largest lead of the game with 34 seconds left in the half, scooping in a tip-in to put Hampton up 28-15.

Hampton led 28-18 at the half.

NCCU (14-5, 6-0 MEAC) shot 46.3 percent (19-for-41) from the floor - including a 12-for-18 (66.7 percent) clip in the second half - and made five of 15 3-pointers. All five made treys came in the second half.

McDonald led the Eagles with 17 points.

The Pirates will be in Savannah, Ga. on Saturday to take on Savannah State 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.