Box Score

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team fell to the Bears of Morgan State Monday night, losing 73-63 at the HU Convocation Center to drop its second Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) game.

The Pirates (4-11, 1-2 MEAC) struggled to start the second half, but pulled within one, 57-56, with 7:47 left to play when Michael Freeman (Alexandria, Va.) flushed home a transition dunk. But Morgan State responded by going on a 12-2 run, going up 69-58 with 4:00 remaining on a pair of Sean Thomas free throws.

Vincent Simpson (Philadelphia, Pa.) closed the Pirates to within seven, 69-62, with a layup at the 3:08 mark, but the Bears (10-7, 3-0 MEAC) made four of seven free throws down the stretch to take the win and remain unbeaten in conference play.

Charles Funches (Bayonne, N.J.) led four Pirates in double figures with 17 points on 6-for-10 shooting, while Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) added 13 points. Freeman and Simpson each chipped in 12 points for the Pirates. Freeman also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds. The Pirates shot 49.0 percent (24-for-49) from the floor, but made just 10 of their 19 free throw attempts.

Reggie Holmes led the Bears with 16 points behind three 3-pointers, while Troy Smith and Kevin Thompson each scored 11 for Morgan State. Thompson also pulled down a team-high nine rebounds. Morgan State shot 39.7 percent (25-for-63) from the floor.

The Bears out-rebounded Hampton 40-30, and forced the Pirates into 19 turnovers, scoring 19 points off of them.

The Pirates closed the first half on a 10-3 run, turning a 29-28 Morgan State lead into a 38-32 Hampton advantage heading into the locker room. Pellum and Funches each punctuated the run with emphatic dunks, and Funches added a layup with 2:24 left in the half that put Hampton up 36-29.

The Bears took a quick 6-2 lead thanks to 3-pointers from Holmes and Troy Smith, but the Pirates responded with seven straight points, taking an 11-6 lead on a 3-pointer from Simpson with 16:28 left in the half. Morgan State then went on a 13-5 run to take a 19-16 lead on a layup from Kevin Thompson at the 11:25 mark, but Hampton went on a 6-1 spurt to take a 22-21 lead on a Pellum layup with 9:03 left in the half.

Simpson led the Pirates with 10 points in the first half on 4-for-7 shooting, while Funches added nine points and Pellum had eight. Freeman led the Pirates with six rebounds. The Pirates shot 57.7 percent (15-for-26) from the floor in the first half, making four of their eight 3-point attempts.

Troy Smith led Morgan State with 10 first-half points, and Thompson pulled down a team-high five rebounds in the opening frame. The Bears shot 36.8 percent (14-for-38) from the floor, out-rebounding Hampton 20-16 in the first half.

The Pirates will return to action on Saturday, when they travel across the Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel to face MEAC rival Norfolk State in Echols Hall at 6 p.m. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.