MEAC: Hampton proves too much for Norfolk State

Hampton Coach Edward Joyner Jr.
(Photo courtesy of HU Pirates Athletics)

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Norfolk State's up-and-down season suffered its final downer Friday night as the Spartans fell 85-61 to a Hampton Pirates team that has looked like the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference's premier team for much of the season.

The Pirates (23-8) can prove it once and for all today when they meet Morgan State (17-13) at Lawrence Joel Veterans Memorial Coliseum in the MEAC's championship game (2 p.m., ESPN2 ). The winner earns the league's automatic berth in the NCAA tournament.

Hampton came into the tournament as the No. 2 seed, victim of a three-game losing streak late in February that let Bethune-Cookman slip into the driver's seat in the regular-season race. But with Bethune-Cookman falling 61-48 earlier Friday to Morgan State, the Pirates became the highest remaining seed.

PIRATES RUN PAST SPARTANS INTO MEAC FINAL

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team advanced to the championship game of the 2011 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament on Friday with an 85-61 win over Norfolk State in the semifinals at the Joel Coliseum.

The No. 2 seeded Pirates (23-8) have won four in a row overall and four straight over the Spartans. It was Hampton’s largest win over Norfolk State since the Pirates beat the Spartans 85-57 on Dec. 8, 2001.

Hampton will take on No. 4 Morgan State, which defeated top seed Bethune-Cookman 61-48 on Friday, in the championship game on Saturday at 2 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPN2.

The Pirates will be looking for their first MEAC Tournament title, and automatic NCAA Tournament berth, since 2006 – when Hampton defeated Delaware State 60-56.

Junior guard Kwame Morgan II (Largo, Md.) led the Pirates with 30 points on 9-for-20 shooting, making four of his nine 3-pointers and all eight of his free throws. Junior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) added 15 points, seven rebounds and five steals.

Junior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.) pulled down a team-high 11 rebounds to go along with nine points. Senior guard Brandon Tunnell (Wilmington, Del.), on top of his team-high five assists, scored eight points.

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Hampton University beats Delaware State 70-66 in OT

HAMPTON, VA - It was Darrion Pellum's party, but Wesley Dunning had a fine time, too.

Pellum, Hampton University's junior guard and leading scorer, had a game-high 28 points while Dunning, a reserve sophomore swingman, scored all six of his points in overtime as the Pirates held off Delaware State 70-66 on Saturday to move into second place in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

Dunning, who had a total of 36 points and averaged 8.7 minutes in the Pirates' first 20 games, was called upon when starting forward Charles Funches, who had eight points and 10 rebounds, rolled his right ankle with seven minutes left in regulation. Dunning opened overtime by ...

Pirates win, move to 2nd in MEAC



HAMPTON, VA – The Hampton University men’s basketball team needed an extra five minutes to beat Delaware State on Saturday evening, taking a 70-66 overtime victory at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates (16-5, 6-2 MEAC) outscored the Hornets 13-9 in the overtime period. Sophomore forward Wesley Dunning scored the team’s first six overtime points, and junior guard Christopher Tolson hit all four of his free throws down the stretch.

Getting defensive

It was a game only a coach could truly love. Hampton's women's basketball team, allowing Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opponents just 48 points per game this season, gave up a season-low 29 to Delaware State on Saturday in a 52-29 win. The Hornets made just six of 39 field-goal attempts, which translates into a shooting percentage of 15.4.

In the first half, the numbers were 3-of-24 (12.5 percent). Seventeen of Delaware State's points came from the free-throw line. An ugly game?  "It depends on how you look at it," Hampton coach David Six said. "They made six field goals. Were they playing that badly, or we were playing good defense?"

PICTURES: Delaware State vs Hampton -- Men and women's games (Photos by Diane Mathews)

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Hampton Keeps Coppin Winless In MEAC

BALTIMORE -- Kwame Morgan scored 17 points, including a pair of key 3-pointers in the second half, as Hampton defeated Coppin State 67-59 in a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference game on Saturday.

The lead changed hands five times in the first 2:10 of the second half. Jordan Ellis hit a pair of 3-pointers and Akeem Ellis one for Coppin State, and Morgan and Brandon Tunnell connected for the Pirates (12-3, 2-0).

After the Eagles (5-8, 0-2) took their final lead of the game, Morgan sank another 3 to put Hampton on top 44-43 with 13:39 remaining. That began a 14-2 run that included two dunks by Koron Reed and gave the Pirates a 55-45 advantage with 9:48 left.

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Morgan sinks Liberty for Pirates' second straight win

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team trailed for much of the night Wednesday, but junior guard Kwame Morgan gave the Pirates the lead when it mattered most, sinking a 3-pointer with one second to play to help Hampton beat Liberty 62-59 at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates (9-2) trailed for 39 minutes, 20 seconds, but Morgan (Largo, Md.) tied the game at 59-59 with 40 seconds to play with a trey. Liberty had a shot, but the Flames turned the ball over with 20 seconds remaining, thanks to a steal by junior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.).

Liberty (7-6) took a 53-39 lead with 9:44 to play after Evan Gordon sank a 3-pointer, but the Pirates responded with a 13-0 run, cutting Liberty’s lead to one, 53-52, with 3:52 to play on a layup from senior forward Charles Funches (Jersey City, N.J.).



Liberty Flames commit 26 turnovers in loss to the Hampton Pirates

HAMPTON, Va. — Liberty men’s basketball assistant coach Jason Eaker walked off the floor at the Hampton University Convocation Center, bowed his head, closed his eyes in frustration and shook his head sharply. He knew his team had given one away Wednesday night.

Interpret the words “give away” literally. Despite shooting 52.1 percent against the nation’s fourth-best field-goal percentage defense, Liberty lost to Hampton 62-59 thanks to 26 turnovers. The Flames (7-6) blew an 18-point lead, including a five-point lead in the final two minutes.

And fittingly, the game’s key play was a turnover, which was the theme of the night for Liberty.

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Hampton Pirates rebound with win over Towson

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team got back into the win column Monday night, defeating the Tigers of Towson University 78-67 at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates (8-2) controlled much of the second half, though Towson closed the gap to 61-55 with 6:52 to play when Dre Conner converted a 3-point play. The Pirates responded emphatically when senior forward Charles Funches (Jersey City, N.J.) threw down a one-handed dunk over Braxton Dupree, drawing the foul and converting the 3-point play at the 5:10 mark to give the Pirates a 68-57 lead.

Junior guard Christopher Tolson (Laurel, Md.) sank a trey with 2:01 to play to put Hampton up 76-63.

Hampton holds off Towson

HAMPTON, VA — Charles Funches posted career highs of 26 points and 12 rebounds to lead Hampton to a 78-67 victory over Towson on Monday night. The Pirates (8-2), coming off a 55-53 loss to Delaware that snapped their seven-game winning streak, shot 45.8 percent from the floor (27 of 59) and hit a season-best 11 of 20 3-pointers.

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Big Apple Classic: Funches scores 20, Hampton beats Howard 67-55

NEW YORK — Charles Funches scored 20 points and Hampton defeated Howard 67-55 on Saturday night in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference opener for both teams. The Pirates (7-1) used a 9-3 run to break a 41-41 tie midway through the second half and secure their seventh straight win.

The Bison (1-7), who trailed 34-27 at halftime, took a 38-36 lead with 15:54 left in the game following an 11-2 run. Mike Tuitt's 3 put the Pirates back on top with 14:50 to play before Dadrian Collins' 3 tied it one more time at 41-41.

Lack of Production from Bench Again Dooms Howard

New York, NY - Mike Phillips poured in a career-high 20 points and Anton Dickerson added 19 but it was not enough to offset the production of the Hampton bench as the Bison lost to Hampton, 67-55 in the 5th Annual Big Apple Classic at Madison Square Garden.

Phillips, a 6-7 sophomore forward from Fredricksburg, VA, recorded a double-double (20 points, 11 rebounds) and Dickerson, a 6-2 sophomore guard from Brooklyn, NY, tallied 14 of his points in the first half as the undermanned Bison (1-7 overall, 0-1 in the MEAC) battled the streaking Pirates (7-1 overall, 1-0 in the MEAC) through most of the contest.

Hampton which has now won seven in a row, was able to get some distance between them and their rival by using a late push to take a 34-27 lead to the locker room.

Hampton men run winning streak to seven

Hampton University ran its winning streak to seven, beating Howard 67-55 Saturday night in the Big Apple Classic at Madison Square Garden. The Pirates (7-1), who are giving up about 54 points per game, haven't lost since dropping a close season-opening contest at Wake Forest.

Howard tied the game at 41 on a 3-pointer by Dadrian Collins, a former Woodside High player. But the Pirates went on a 9-3 run to take a 50-44 lead with 9:42 to play on a dunk from junior guard Darrion Pellum.

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HPU Men's basketball hosts Hampton Sunday afternoon

The game: High Point University (2-2) hosts a hot Hampton University team (4-1) on Sunday at 3 p.m. HPU is coming off a 71-63 loss at the Citadel in which the Panthers staged a huge comeback to get within three points with under a minute remaining but couldn’t tie it up.

Hampton lost its first game of the season, 63-56, to Wake Forest at the Lawrence Joel Coliseum before reeling off wins over Winthrop, Fordham, Boston University and George Washington. It will be the first-ever meeting between High Point University and Hampton. HPU is 7-4 all-time against current MEAC schools. The Panthers beat North Carolina Central twice last season and split two games against South Carolina State.

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Pirates to Take on High Point Panthers on the Road

HIGH POINT, N.C. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team will take to the road on Sunday, as they head to the Millis Center to face the Panthers of High Point University at 3 p.m. Since moving to Division I in 1995, this will mark the first time that Hampton and High Point face each other.

The Pirates, in their second season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., are on a four-game winning streak following wins over Boston University and George Washington on Monday and Tuesday in the consolation rounds of the Dick’s Sporting Goods NIT Season Tip-Off. Junior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) scored a team-high 18 points in Tuesday’s 62-51 win over George Washington, while junior guard Kwame Morgan II (Largo, Md.) added 14 points and tied his career high with 10 rebounds for his first career double-double.

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