HAMPTON, Va. – Three players scored in double figures for the Hampton University men's basketball team in Friday's season opener, but the Pirates fell 67-56 at the HU Convocation Center.
Sophomore
Kalin Fisher led the Pirates with 14 points, tying his career high by going 4-for-10 from the floor and hitting five of his six free throws.
Jermaine Marrow dropped 13 in his Hampton debut, and senior
Lawrence Cooks added 10 points.
Junior
Charles Wilson-Fisher grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and had two blocks – also a career high.
Despite shooting nearly 46 percent in the second half, the Pirates were 20-for-57 (35.1 percent) from the floor. Hampton (0-1) also struggled from distance on the evening, going just 4-for-21 (19.0 percent) from behind the arc.
Rider (1-0) held a narrow rebounding edge, 37-35.
The Broncs shot just over 46 percent from the floor on the night, including a 48.2 percent clip in the first half. Hampton struggled out of the gate, shooting 27.3 percent from the floor in the opening 20 minutes. In fact, Rider took immediate control, opening the game with an 18-6 run in the first eight minutes.
Rider led by double digits for much of the first half, going up 27-11 with 6:12 left in the half, but the Pirates responded with a 13-6 run to cut the lead to 33-24 with 22 seconds left in the half after a layup from
AJ Astroth.
But the Broncs answered with three seconds left to lead 36-24 at the break.
Rider scored the first six points of the second half to take a 42-24 lead at the 17:51 mark, but the Pirates spent the bulk of the second half just within striking distance. After Rider took a 50-38 lead with 13:11 remaining, the Pirates scored the next 10 points to cut the lead to two following a Marrow layup at the 8:01 mark.
Marrow had six points in that run.
But the Broncs answered with eight straight of their own to take control once again, going up 58-48 with 6:04 remaining. A Carey Norville layup with 4:18 left gave Rider a 65-52 lead.
A Wilson-Fisher jumper and a Fisher layup cut the lead to 65-56, bringing the lead back down to single digits, but Stevie Jordan clinched the game with a pair of free throws with 48 seconds remaining.
Jordan and Xavier Lundy led four Broncs in double figures with 14 points each.
The Pirates will be back at the Convocation Center on Thursday to take on Div. II Chowan at 7 p.m. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5757, or visit the official Pirates website at
www.hamptonpirates.com.
