Box Score
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Hampton University men’s basketball team, thanks to a 3-pointer from senior Vincent Simpson with 13 seconds remaining, beat Winston-Salem State 55-53 on Monday night at the C.E. Gaines Center.
Paul Davis gave the Rams a 53-52 lead with 41 seconds left when he hit one of two free throws, but Simpson’s jumper 28 seconds later gave the Pirates the late advantage. Andrew Jackson let a 3-pointer fly with one second left that would’ve won the game for Winston-Salem State, but the shot wouldn’t fall.
The Pirates (8-15) led by as many as seven in the second half, going up 42-35 with 11:32 to play on a
Koron Reed (Philadelphia, Pa.) layup. But the Rams responded with a 13-2 run, going up 48-44 at the 6:01 mark on a Brian Fisher free throw. The score was tied three times from that point, but the Pirates didn’t regain the lead until Simpson’s trey.
Simpson (Philadelphia, Pa.) and
Charles Funches (Bayonne, N.J.) each led the Pirates with 12 points, with Simpson making just one of his 11 3-point attempts. Funches went 4-for-7 from the field and 4-for-5 from the free throw line, also pulling down a team-high nine rebounds – five on the offensive end.
Fisher led the Rams (9-13) with 11 points, while Corey Morris pulled down a team-high eight rebounds.
The Pirates shot 32.8 percent (19-for-58) from the floor and 71.4 percent (15-for-21) from the free throw line. Hampton held a 43-42 advantage on the boards, while also forcing Winston-Salem State into 17 turnovers – scoring 16 points off them.
The Pirates committed just 12 turnovers.
The Rams shot 32.7 percent (18-for-55) from the floor, but just 23.8 percent (5-for-21) from 3-point range and 57.1 percent (12-for-21) from the free throw line.
The Pirates opened the game on an 11-2 run, with Simpson hitting a jumper at the 14:04 mark to close out the opening surge. The Rams answered with a 14-4 run, taking a 16-15 lead at the 6:20 mark on a 3-pointer from Shelton Carter.
Winston-Salem State held a 27-26 lead at the half.
Funches led the Pirates with eight first-half points, while he and Reed each pulled down six rebounds in the opening frame. The Pirates shot just 28.6 percent (8-for-28) in the first half, and they out-rebounded the Rams 24-21.
The Pirates will return to action on Saturday, when they come back to the HU Convocation Center to take on Norfolk State 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.