HAMPTON, Va. (Jan. 24, 2026) … For 29 minutes, the Hampton-UNCW game was anyone's ballgame. The league's top team, the Seahawks had their hands full against the Pirates. But a 17-6 run late in the second half, dominating play in the paint and a 27-to-8 edge in free throw attempts propelled UNCW (18-3, 7-1) to a 57-67 win over Hampton (10-11, 4-4) at the Convocation Center. The loss snapped Hampton's 11-game homecourt winning streak, the longest in the Coastal Athletic Association.

The two teams tangled on Jan. 3 in Wilmington with the Seahawks posting a 49-45 win in a defensive battle. In that match-up, Hampton scored 18 points in the first half and trailed by nine. The style of play in the rematch was anything but a replay of the first game. Both teams showed their offensive skills as Hampton shot a sizzling 65 percent from the field in the opening half while the Seahawks shot 58 percent. The Seahawks took a 38-37 lead into the locker room.

Surprise Pirate starter Quinton Cooper put Hampton ahead 5-4 with a bucket early in the contest. He finished with five points, all in the first half. UNCW built a five-point lead midway through the first half but the Pirates batted back with back-to-back three-pointers to Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt, who finished with 10 first half points, and Daniel Johnson, who scored nine in the first 20 minutes. Aidan Haskins put the Pirates up by five, 33-28, with a long three-pointer with 4:09 to go but the Seahawks answered and battled back to take a one-point, 38-37, lead at intermission.

UNCW went ahead by six early in the second half but Johnson's trey brought the Pirates back to within three. With 14:40 left in the contest, the score was 49-43 reminiscent of the final score in the first meeting.

Hampton closed to within one after Johnson's trey, 53-52. But UNCW's Patrick Wessler made three consecutive lay-ups and a free throw made it 60-54 with 8:01 to go. The UNCW lead grew to 12, 72-60, with 1:03 to go. Long hit a along three-pointer and Kody Williams came off the bench to score four points as the Pirates closed the deficit.

UNCW finished with 32 points in the paint. Four UNCW starters scored double-figures. Johnson led the Pirates with 17 points with Gaines-Wyatt (14) and Josh Ogundele (11) also scoring in double-figures.