Hampton University bounces back from up-and-down month, rallies to beat High Point in overtime
Hampton University’s men’s basketball team has had its share of difficulties this season, including poor shooting and lackluster rebounding. COVID-19 has been unkind to the Pirates as well, sidelining 10 of 14 players and two coaches during a stretch when the Pirates did not play for 28 days.
“We didn’t practice for almost three weeks of that time,” Pirates’ coach Buck Joyner said. “So, because we have so many new guys and have had so many different lineups that kept us from developing any chemistry, we’ve tried to concentrate on defense.”
That focus, and timely late-game offensive rebounding, lifted the Pirates to a 68-64 overtime win over High Point on Saturday in their Big South Conference game at the HU Convocation Center. It was the Pirates’ first victory since they won 54-53 at William & Mary on Dec. 9.
“This is huge for our psyche and confidence,” Joyner said. “Defense won it for us.”
Indeed, after falling behind 60-53 with about 3 minutes to play in regulation, the Pirates (5-10, 1-3 conference) held the Panthers (7-11, 1-3) to just four points and one field goal over the final eight minutes.
The Pirates outscored the Panthers 9-2 to finish regulation and force the overtime. Marquis Godwin made the key defensive play, a steal with 20 seconds left.
Deuce Dean (13 points) followed by tying the game at 62 on a 3-pointer with 8.8 seconds remaining. The Pirates regained possession with 2.4 seconds left when Rio Haskett Jr. drew a charge on Panthers star John-Michael Wright (17 points).
Dean — whose buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the 58-57 win over Norfolk State was the No. 1 highlight on ESPN’s SportsCenter on Dec. 4 — almost sunk a game-winning 3-pointer from halfcourt to end regulation. The ball rolled off the heel of the rim.
Neither team scored in overtime until Dajour Dickens tipped in Dean’s miss to give the Pirates a 64-62 lead with 1:15 to play. Raymond Bethea (16 points) followed with a basket on an offensive rebound with 27 seconds left in OT to increase the lead to four points as the Pirates ended a four-game losing streak.
The Pirates started well, bolting to a 16-8 lead before the game was six minutes old. Najee Garvin (18 points) scored eight points in the early run, four of them the result of offensive rebounds.
That was big because the Pirates entered the game last in the conference in rebounding and offensive rebounds. Garvin also scored on an early steal, as did Bethea, as the Pirates displayed the defensive form that has them near the top of the Big South in almost every team defensive category.
The most significant statistical leader for the Panthers coming into the game was Wright, whose 19.7 points per game average tops the conference. Bedeviled by early foul problems, Wright sat on the bench for more than 14 minutes in the first half and and managed just five points.
But Alex Holt, a 6-foot-8 forward, scored nine of his 13 points to lead the Panthers back into a tie at 30-apiece with his basket inside with less than 2 minutes to play in in the first half. The Pirates, the worst 3-point shooting team in the Big South, retook the lead on consecutive 3s by Dean and Amir Nesbitt and led 36-32 at intermission.
The game remained tight throughout the next 20 minutes, when High Point’s late seven-point lead was the largest for either team.
The Pirates, who were at home for the first time since Dec. 4, will host Longwood at 6 p.m. Monday in a Big South game.
