FLAGSTAFF, Ariz. – At one point Wednesday night, the Hampton University men's basketball team found itself down 22 to Northern Arizona at the Walkup Skydome, but a career night from Reginald Johnson, Jr., four Pirates in double figures, and two overtimes later, the Pirates won 98-94.
 
The win snapped a two-game skid and improved Hampton to 3-3 on the season.
 
It was Hampton's first double-overtime win since Dec. 29, 2013 (101-95 over Winthrop).
 
Johnson dropped a career-high 35 points on 12-for-27 shooting, hitting five of his 10 3-pointers and making six of his nine free throws. He also dished out a team- and career-high six assists, while grabbing four rebounds.
 
Brian Darden added a season-high 22 points in the victory, going 7-for-13 from the floor and hitting four 3-pointers, while Dionte Adams and Charles Wilson-Fisher each added 10 points – Wilson-Fisher tying his career high and Adams setting his.
 
Wilson-Fisher went 5-for-7 from the floor and grabbed eight rebounds.
 
Jervon Pressley grabbed a team- and career-high 13 rebounds and was one point shy of his second double-double of the season.
 
Despite the cold first half, the Pirates shot 45.1 percent (32-for-71) from the floor and made 10 of their 24 3-pointers (a season-best 41.7 percent). Hampton also shed its recent struggles at the free throw line, going 24-for-31 as a team – a season-best 77.4 percent clip.
 
Hampton also out-rebounded the Lumberjacks 44-41.
 
The Lumberjacks took control of the game immediately, and led by as many as 22 in the first half after Ako Kaluna hit a 3-pointer with 1:20 left in the frame to put Northern Arizona up 42-20. But the Pirates closed the half on a 6-0 run, cutting the lead to 42-26 after a Kalin Fisher jumper in the closing seconds.
 
Northern Arizona grabbed the momentum back in the opening moments of the second half, taking a 51-29 lead with 17:31 left in regulation after Kris Yanku hit a pair of free throws. But Hampton answered with a 19-8 run, cutting the lead to 59-48 with 11:47 left after a layup from Adams.
 
It was the first of several runs in the second half for the Pirates; after the Lumberjacks took a 66-52 lead with 8:58 left in regulation, Hampton answered with seven straight points to cut the margin to 66-59 after a layup from Johnson.
 
Torry Johnson converted a 3-point play to give the Lumberjacks a 10-point lead, 76-66, with 4:43 left.
 
But the Pirates had another run in them, scoring the next nine points and cutting the lead to 76-75 with 3:06 left after a steal and fastbreak layup from Johnson.
 
While Hampton never led in regulation, and the Lumberjacks led 80-77 with 1:09 left in the second half, the Pirates forced overtime after Darden drained a 3-pointer with 57 seconds left on the clock to knot the score at 80-80.
 
Kaluna had a look from behind the arc at the buzzer, but missed.
 
Hampton shot 57.1 percent (20-for-35) in the second half and made six of 12 3-pointers, scoring 54 points in that 20-minute span.
 
Johnson opened the first overtime by giving Hampton its first lead of the night, hitting a jumper at the 4:43 mark to put the Pirates up 82-80. The Lumberjacks fought back to take an 84-82 lead, before a Johnson 4-point play gave Hampton an 86-84 lead with 3:13 remaining.
 
But a 5-0 spurt gave Northern Arizona an 89-86 lead with 1:46 left, and Kaluna hit a trey with 1:04 left that gave the Lumberjacks a 92-87 lead.
 
Darden hit a jumper, and Johnson followed with a three, to force the second overtime.
 
Adams put Hampton up 94-92 with 3:49 left in the second overtime with a pair of free throws, in a frame where points were at a premium.
 
In fact, the two teams combined for just one field goal in the second OT – a layup from Yanku in the closing seconds – but Hampton's proficiency at the charity stripe clinched the comeback win. The Pirates were a perfect 6-for-6 from the line in the second overtime.
 
Northern Arizona (2-5) shot 41.6 percent (32-for-77) from the floor and made 11 of 30 3-pointers (36.7 percent). The Lumberjacks also made 19 of 21 free throws.
 
Yanku led four Lumberjacks in double figures with 25 points.
 
The Pirates will be in Baltimore, Md. on Saturday for their MEAC opener at Coppin State. 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.