HAMPTON, Va. (Feb. 13, 2025) … Hampton (13-13, 5-8) saw Drexel (13-13, 4-8) battle back from an 11-point second half deficit to take a 56-55 lead in the game's final minutes. But the Pirates regrouped and outscored the Dragons 8-2 to close out the game and post a 63-58 win at the Hampton Convocation Center.

"I was very pleased with the toughness and resilience we showed down the stretch," Coach Ivan Thomas said. "We played hard in the first half and we played harder in the second."

Kyrese Mullen had a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. In addition, he canned four free throws in the final 14 seconds to stave off any Drexel comeback. Noah Farrakhan also tallied 18 points for the Pirates.

If you looked at the records of the two competing teams, you would expect a close game between the two teams. And that's exactly what fans got. Hampton came into the game with a 12-13 record while the Dragons were 13-12. Both teams had four conference wins.
The game's first 20 minutes were a back-and-forth affair in which there were five lead changes and three ties. Hampton's Xzavier Long scored in the final seconds as Hampton took a 27-26 lead to the locker room.

Drexel took a quick 5-0 lead to start the game only to see the Pirates score the next five points to tie the game. With Mullen taking charge with a bucket and free throw, Hampton took a 21-15 lead midway through the first half. Mullen scored 12 points in the first 11:05 of the contest. A Farrakhan field goal with 5:13 left boosted the Pirates to a 23-16 advantage. After going 4:24 without a basket, Drexel scored six straight points to take a 26-25 lead with :24 left in the half. Long's basket in the paint put the Pirates back on top 27-26 at intermission.

Although Drexel outshot the Pirates in the first half 46.2 to 32.4 percent, the Dragons made just 1-of-9 shots from three-point range. Hampton tallied nine points on eight Drexel turnovers. Hampton had just two first half turnovers.

Farrakhan hit a jumper and made a lay-up to give the Pirates a 31-26 lead to start the second half. After a Drexel basket, Farrakhan struck again with another lay-up before Mullen's field goal. Long's lay-up on an assist by Mullen gave the Pirates a 37-28 lead with 15:30 to go. Hampton's 6-0 run was snapped by Butler's free throw at the 15:24 mark before Etienne Strothers' three-pointer gave the Pirates a double-digit lead, 40-29. After hitting just 1-of-10 from three-point range, Drexel made back-to-back treys to spur an 8-2 Dragon run made the score 44-39 with 11:48 left.

With Hampton leading 55-49, Drexel reeled off seven straight points to take a 56-55 lead following a three-pointer by Cole Hargrove and a lay-up by Butler. Hampton battled back to take a one-point lead in the final minute forcing Drexel to foul. Hampton missed all five free throws in the second half before Mullen canned all four as the Pirates pulled away for a 63-58 win.

Hampton returns to action on Saturday, Feb. 15 when the Pirates host CAA foe Hofstra at 2:00 p.m. at the Hampton Convocation Center. The Dragons play at William & Mary on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in Williamsburg.