Box Score
New York, N.Y. – Four of Hampton’s five starters scored in double figures led by Demario Mattox’s 19 points, but the Pirates sent Howard to the free throw line 47 times and the Bison took advantage by making 36 to walk away with a 95-84 win in the Big Apple Classic at Madison Square Garden. The loss snapped Hampton’s seven-game winning streak over Howard and dropped the Pirates to 2-7, 0-2 in Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play, while the Bison improved to 4-3,1-0 in the MEAC.
After a see-saw battle that saw both teams shoot better than 50% from the field, resulting in a 41-41 tie at the break, the Bison capitalized on some Pirate mistakes to seize control early in the second half. Four consecutive turnovers by Hampton led to a pair of jumpers by Curtis White and a Eugene Myatt basket with 12:18 to play that put Howard in front 60-52.
Hampton responded with back-to-back three-pointers from Vincent Simpson and Kevin Clark who came off the bench to knock down 4-of-5 shots from deep on the afternoon. Clark’s three from the left wing trimmed the Bison deficit to 60-58 with just under 10 minutes remaining.
However, the Bison went on an 11-2 run over the next four minutes to take their largest lead of the game at 71-60. Seven of Howard’s 11 points during the run came from the free throw line as the Pirates’ trapping defense was a little too aggressive. The Bison managed just two field goals for the remainder of the game, but they knocked down 20-of-25 free throws to keep the lead in double figures.
Howard’s Eugene Myatt led all scorers with 22 points and Darryl Hudson added 18 for the Bison.
In addition to 19 points from Mattox (5 assists), the Pirates also got 15 from freshman Michael Freeman and 14 from fellow rookie Vincent Simpson. Hampton shot a season-high 52% from the field, including going 11-of-25 from behind the arc, but the Pirates were not able to overcome 21 turnovers and 33 fouls.
The Pirates are off for two weeks before the return to the court on Dec. 16 when they’ll visit ACC foe Virginia.
