Hampton men open with 77-69 win against William and Mary

HAMPTON, Virginia — Brian Darden was understandably nervous heading into his first college basketball game in a year. Once he buried his first shot, though, he and Hampton University were off and running.

Darden's 3-point barrage fueled an early surge and the Pirates held off William and Mary 77-69 Friday at the HU Convocation Center in the season opener for both teams.

"My nerves were crazy," said Darden, who starred at Phoebus High and transferred to HU after a year at Radford. "I was so anxious for this first game. But I prepped myself for this moment, so when the moment came I was able to capitalize."

Darden hit four 3-pointers and scored a dozen points in the first half, as Hampton sprinted to a 19-3 lead and the Tribe played catch-up the remainder of the game. He finished with 18 points, as one of four Pirates in double figures and one of 10 to scratch in the box score.

"I feel like this team isn't about two or three people or one 20-point scorer," said HU coach Ed Joyner Jr. "We feel like we can have eight or nine 10-point scorers. I think we showed that with our ball movement and our people movement tonight. That was a great team victory. Everybody had their moments, where they stepped up for us."

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