Feb. 9, 2009
Box Score
HAMPTON, Va. - Vincent Simpson tallied a game-high 16 as Hampton stopped a three-game losing streak with a 56-42 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference win over the University of Maryland Eastern Shore at the HU Convocation Center Monday.
With the win, Hampton improved to 11-12 and 5-5 in the MEAC. Neal Pitt (Fort Washington, Md.) had team highs of 12 points and seven rebounds in the Hawks' fifth straight loss. UMES dropped to 6-17 overall and 2-9 in conference. UMES hasn't won at Hampton since the 1999-2000 season, a 59-58 victory at the Convocation Center.
Keishawn Mayes (Warrenton, N.C.) scored the first bucket of the game 19:09 mark, a jumper, to give the Hawks their first lead of any kind in two games. The advantage was fleeting, though UMES stayed close in the opening minutes.
Hampton accumulated its biggest lead of the first half at 17-9 with nine minutes gone when Jordan Brooks stole the ball from Josh Bright (Salisbury, Md.) and went the other way for a layup.
Bright redeemed himself, scoring the Hawks' next two hoops, both from long range, to cut it to a 17-15 game with 8:31 to go in the half. Bright was other UMES player in double figures with 10 on 4-of-6 shooting.
A pair of free throws from Marc Davis (Baltimore, Md.) gave the visitors a quick 21-20 lead before Simpson answered with a three. Pitt scored on the next possession from Mayes to knot the game at 23, but the Hawks got no closer.
Hampton ended the half with seven straight points from four players, carrying a 30-23 lead into the break.
Brandon Tunnell's layup extended the Pirates run to 9-0 out of the looker room. Pitt came back with a layup of his own to get his team on the board for the first time in 7:29.
Another Simpson three gave Hampton a double-digit advantage at 36-25 with 17:42 to play. A jumper by Davis cut the lead to nine on the next possession, but HU engineered a 9-3 stretch to take control, 45-30, with just under 10 minutes remaining. The Hawks didn't get closer than 12 the rest of the night.
Hampton shot under 37 percent for the game, while UMES was just 29.8 percent from the field (14-for-47). The hosts had the edge in rebounding (44-29), points in the paint (24-18) and points off turnovers (14-12).
UMES returns home for homecoming against North Carolina A&T Feb. 14 at 4 p.m.
