Box Score

DOVER, Del. – The Hampton University men's basketball team led by as many as eight in the second half, but Delaware State came roaring back en route to a 58-56 win Saturday evening in Memorial Hall.

Vincent Simpson (Philadelphia, Pa.) hit a free throw with 16:17 remaining to give the Pirates a 41-33 lead, but the Hornets went on a 12-2 run to take a 45-43 lead on a Frisco Sandidge layup with 13:57 left to play. The game would see three more ties down the stretch, and neither team managed a lead larger than four – which Delaware State held at the 7:17 mark, when Sandidge hit another layup to make it 49-45 in favor of the Hornets.

Charles Funches (Bayonne, N.J.) hit a layup with 58 seconds remaining to give the Pirates (6-14, 3-5 MEAC) a 56-55 lead, but Marcus Neal gave the advantage right back to Delaware State with 26 seconds to play, sinking a layup of his own. A free throw from Terron Stowe in the last second pushed the game to its final margin.

Simpson led the Pirates with 16 points on 5-for-9 shooting, going 3-for-5 from 3-point range. Michael Freeman (Alexandria, Va.) added 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season, while Funches added 10 points on 4-for-7 shooting.

Neal led the Hornets with 16 points, while Chad Wilson added 13 and Sandidge chipped in 10 points. Sandidge and Marques Oliver each pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.

Hampton shot 50.0 percent (21-for-42) from the floor, making nine of its 22 3-pointers. Delaware State shot 23-for-58 (39.7 percent) from the floor, out-rebounding the Pirates 35-28 and forcing Hampton into 17 turnovers.

The Hornets had 13 second-chance points and 16 points off turnovers.

Hampton took a 33-29 into the half, thanks to a 12-for-20 effort (60.0 percent) from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. Simpson had 13 points in the first half, hitting all three of his shots from behind the arc.

Neal led the Hornets (10-8, 5-2 MEAC) with seven first-half points, as Delaware State shot 43.3 percent (13-for-30) from the floor.

The Pirates will return to action on Monday, when they head to Princess Anne, Md. to take on Maryland-Eastern Shore at 8 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.