HAMPTON, Va. – A layup from AJ Astroth with 29 seconds left in overtime allowed the Hampton University men's basketball team to survive Div. II Chowan 70-69 at the HU Convocation Center on Thursday night.
 
The Pirates, with their first win, are 1-1 on the season.
 
Hampton had led for most of the overtime period, going up 68-65 after a pair of free throws from Lawrence Cooks with 1:48 left. But Jeremy Smith answered with a layup and then a jumper, giving the Hawks (1-1) a 69-68 lead with 48 seconds remaining.
 
There was one tie and three lead changes in overtime.
 
Astroth led three Pirates in double figures with 18 points on 5-for-8 shooting and an 8-for-11 effort from the free throw line, while also grabbing nine rebounds (tied with Charles Wilson-Fisher for the team lead). Jermaine Marrow added 11 points, while Wilson-Fisher had 10 points.
 
Hampton shot 37.3 percent from the floor (25-for-67), while struggling again from behind the arc to the tune of 17.6 percent. The Pirates made 17 of their 28 free throws (60.7 percent) and outrebounded Chowan 50-32.
 
The Pirates shot 41.2 percent from the floor in the first half.
 
Chowan held an early 7-4 lead, but the Pirates answered with a 16-1 lead to take a 20-8 lead at the 9:25 mark of the first half following a layup from Astroth. Hampton maintained control throughout the half, heading into the locker room with a 35-21 lead.
 
That was Hampton's largest lead of the night.
 
A jumper from Branden Aughburns with 16:48 left in the second half gave the Pirates a 38-28 lead – their last double-digit advantage of the evening. The Hawks responded by going on a 13-3 run, tying the game at 41-41 with 12:42 remaining in regulation on two Carlos Arroyo free throws.
 
The Pirates took the lead back, and with 5:43 left, Wilson-Fisher gave the Pirates a 52-48 lead with two free throws. But Chowan answered again, going on an 11-3 run to take a 59-55 lead with 2:12 left in regulation.
 
Jeremy Smith hit a free throw with 40 seconds left in regulation to give Chowan a 60-56 lead.
 
But Marrow hit both of his free throws with 21 seconds left, cutting the lead to two, before Chowan missed a pair of free throws on the other end to give the Pirates possession to close out the second half. Marrow answered with a layup with six seconds left to force overtime.
 
Chowan shot 43.5 percent (27-for-62) from the floor for the game – including a 51.9 percent clip in the second half – but the Hawks struggled at the free throw line (6-for-15).
 
Kevin Kuteyi led five Hawks in double figures with 15 points.
 
The Pirates will hit the road for the first time this season on Sunday, heading to Manhattan, Kan. To take on Kansas State at 6 p.m. EST. For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5757, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.