Pirates Bounce Back With Win At Delaware State

DOVER, Del. - The Hampton University men's basketball team got back into the win column on Monday evening at Memorial Hall, beating host Delaware State 57-50.

The Pirates (12-15, 9-4 MEAC) have won seven of their last nine games. Hampton finishes the road portion of its schedule with a 7-8 mark.

Ramon Mercado led the way with 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Deron Powers added 11 points and Emmanuel Okoroba chipped in 10 points.

Delaware State (12-15, 7-6 MEAC) led 7-2 in the early going, but the Pirates cut the lead to one on multiple occasions before a Mercado layup at the 4:28 mark tied the score at 15-15. The Hornets then went on a 9-2 run to take a 24-17 lead with 1:39 left in the half after Albert Thomas hit a layup.

The Hornets led 26-22 at the half, thanks largely to 11 points off of 10 Hampton turnovers.

The Pirates first took the lead at the 15:51 mark of the second half, when a fast-break dunk from Dwight Meikle gave Hampton a 30-29 lead. A free throw from Ke'Ron Brown at the 15:04 mark put the Pirates up 32-31.

Brown's free throw kicked off a 9-0 Hampton run, and when Du'Vaughn Maxwell hit two free throws with 11:42 left, the Pirates lead 41-31.

Thomas hit two free throws with 4:03 left to cut Hampton's lead to 53-47, but that was as close as Delaware State would get; Powers hit four free throws in the last minute of the game to seal the win for the Pirates.

Oliver and May each had 11 points to lead the Hornets.

For the complete story, visit www.hamptonpirates.com or www.dsuhornets.com.