BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – Despite having three players in double figures, the Hampton University men's basketball team fell 69-63 to Gardner-Webb on Wednesday at Paul Porter Arena, thanks in part to a cold first half.
 
The Pirates fell to 2-7 on the season.
 
Lawrence Cooks led the Pirates with 17 points on 6-for-15 shooting, while AJ Astroth added 16 points and a season-high 15 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Jermaine Marrow added 11 points, scoring in double figures for the eighth time in nine games.
 
The Pirates shot 38.2 percent (21-for-55) from the floor – despite shooting just 28.6 percent in the first half – and went 5-for-19 (26.3 percent) from behind the arc.
 
Offense was at a premium in the first half, even as the two teams took turns with the lead. But the Runnin' Bulldogs eventually took control, despite a layup from Marrow with 11:57 left in the half that cut the lead to 11-10.
 
But Gardner-Webb scored the next eight points, going up 19-10 at the 9:03 mark.
 
David Efianayi gave the Runnin' Bulldogs their first double-digit lead of the night at the 3:01 mark, hitting a pair of free throws to make the lead 27-17.
 
Gardner-Webb held a 29-22 lead at the break.
 
Astroth had nine points and eight rebounds in the first half.
 
A 9-4 spurt to open the second half gave the Runnin' Bulldogs a 38-26 lead with 17:40 left after LaQuincy Rideau nailed a three. The Pirates responded with a 13-5 run, cutting the lead to 43-39 with 11:39 remaining after a trey from Cooks.
 
Hampton again made it a two-possession game with 7:26 left after a Kalin Fisher fastbreak layup cut Gardner-Webb's lead to 50-45.
 
But a 7-2 lead gave the Runnin' Bulldogs a 57-47 lead with 5:03 remaining, after a Rideau jumper, and Gardner-Webb maintained a lead anywhere from six to nine points from the remainder of the game.
 
Gardner-Webb (5-4) also struggled from the floor in the first half, but a 57.1 percent clip in the second half helped the Runnin' Bulldogs shoot 38.3 percent (23-for-60) from the floor for the night. Gardner-Webb was just 3-for-16 from behind the arc and 20-for-39 from the free throw line.
 
The Runnin' Bulldogs held a 44-40 edge on the glass.
 
Rideau led Gardner-Webb with 17 points.
 
The Pirates return to action on Saturday, Dec. 17, when they return home to take on Winthrop at 2 p.m. 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.