NORFOLK, Va. – A wild second half comeback attempt fell short on Thursday night as the Hampton Pirates dropped a 68-66 decision to Maryland Eastern Shore in the quarterfinals of the 2017 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament at the Norfolk Scope.
 
Hampton (14-16) started the game slowly falling behind 17-3 at the 13 minute mark on a layup by Derrico Peck.  The Pirates trailed by as much as 15 points midway through the half, but cut it as close as six points on a pair of Jermaine Marrow free throws with three seconds left to trail 37-31.  A buzzer-beating 3-pointer from Ryan Andino gave the Hawks a 40-31 halftime advantage.
 
Maryland Eastern Shore took the lead in the second half to 50-39 on a Tyler Jones jumper with 16:16 left, but then Hampton started to work back into the game.  The Pirates went on 20-5 run over a ten-plus minute span as a Marrow 3-pointer put them up 59-55 with 5:50 remaining.
 
The Hawks reasserted themselves on the heels of an 11-2 flurry to lead 66-61 on a Logan McIntosh layup at the 2:16 mark.  Hampton had one last run and tied it on a Devin Oakley steal and layup with 41 seconds left at 66-all.
 
McIntosh hit another layup for a 68-66 Hawks lead with 12 seconds left, but a Trevond Barnes jumper bounced off the rim and an AJ Astroth tip-in was ruled after the buzzer to end Hampton's season.
 
Marrow was the leading scorer for Hampton with 19 points, while Lawrence Cooks added 13 for Hampton.
 
For more information on Hampton University men's basketball, please contact the Office of Sports Information at 757-727-5757 or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.