Sophomore Rashad West had 21 points and junior Matthew Pilgrim tossed in 16 as the Pirates of Hampton defeated the Bulldogs of SC State 82-76 Saturday to remain unbeaten in MEAC play. The Pirates improved to 9-6 overall and 4-0 in the league.

Leading the way for SC State in the loss was sophomore guard Jason Flagler with a career-high 27 points and eight rebounds. Freshman Carrio Bennett added 17 points and Jason Johnson pulled down a game-high 10 boards for the Bulldogs, who fell to 5-12 on the season and 1-2 in the MEAC.

Hampton grabbed a 13-10 lead on a three-pointer by Jordan Brooks at the 13:48 mark and extended its lead to 15 before settling to a 44-31 advantage by the intermission. The Hampton bench outscored SC State 19-9 in the period.

The Bulldogs stormed back in the second half, pulling to within two on several occasions, the last time at 62-60 with 7:54 remaining on a lay-up by Jessie Burton, who contributed 12 points and seven assists in the loss.

The Pirates then went on an 11-3 run to build a 10-point cushion, 73-63, on a tip-in by Pilgrim at the 5:17 mark. The closest the Bulldogs got after that was the final margin.

The visitors enjoyed a huge advantage at the charity stripe, connecting on 33 of 44 free throw attempts to just 8-18 by the Bulldogs.