Courtesy of Hampton Athletics
GREENSBORO, N.C. – Hampton University men’s basketball team defeated the North Carolina A&T Aggies 74-73 in an HBCU basketball thriller on MLK day. Prior to tonight’s victory, the Pirates had not won inside Corbett Sports Center in nine years. While HU had only attempted eight free throws, Coach Ivan Thomas’s side was able to close out the contest at the charity stripe.
Both teams struggled to score early on in the contest. North Carolina A&T jumped out to an early lead scoring the contest’s first four points. Trevor Smith got the Pirates offense going with a jumper from beyond the arc. Hampton tied up the contest 6-6 with Wayne Bristol Jr. hitting a three. At the 11:03 mark, the Aggies jumped out to its largest lead of the night 15-6.
Noah Farrakhan provided the Pirates with a spark off the bench. The Newark, N.J. native, scored nine points before the under-eight media timeout. Farrakhan’s contribution helped Hampton go on a 17-2 run to earn their first double-digit advantage in the CAA’s HBCU rivalry. While Coach Ivan Thomas’s squad found its rhythm on the offensive end, North Carolina A&T struggled from the field. Toward the end of the first half, the Aggies went 1-for-10 from the field. With N.C. A&T’s Camian Shell made a pair of free throws, HU entered the half up 39-29.
Coming out of the first frame the Pirates had success scoring inside the paint. Tyler Rice and Richard Goods propelled HU to 22 points in the paint in the second half. With the dunk by Goods, Hampton held onto their largest lead of the night. 47-31.
While North Carolina A&T would battle back to make it a six-point contest before the 10-minute mark, the Pirates jumped back out to a double-digit advantage. After George Beale Jr. scored back-to-back jump shots from outside the paint, HU’s offense started to come to a halt. As the Pirates could not make shots, the Aggies went 10-for-12 from the field before the final media timeout.
With North Carolina A&T starting to make shots the Aggies cut Hampton’s lead down to five. The Aggies would eventually tie the contest 73-73 with only 18 seconds remaining. The Pirates were able to find an open Xzaiver Long with less than three seconds remaining. Long drew a foul sending him to the line with 2.4 seconds left on the clock. The Washington, D.C. native made the game-winning free throw. Hampton had a strategic miss from the charity stripe to secure the 74-73 victory over North Carolina A&T in the MLK Day HBCU hoops showdown.
Farrakhan led the Pirates in scoring with 17 points and tallied six assists along with three steals. Beale Jr. would be Hampton’s lone starter to finish the contest in double-figures with 13 points. The Pirates return to action on Thursday. Hampton University will face the Tribe of William and Mary at Kaplan Arena. Tip-off is slated for 5:00 p.m. and will be on CBS Sports Network.