Pirates Second Half Surge Comes Up Short Against Boise State

Sunday, November 24

George Town, Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands

11:00 AM

Hampton University

2-4,0-0CAA

Boise State

4-1,0-0Mountain West

Team	1	2	F
Hampton	21	48	69
Boise St.	41	42	83

Photo by: EJ Morton

Pirates Second Half Surge Comes Up Short Against Boise State

11.24.24 | Men's Basketball

Box Score

GRAND CAYMAN, Cayman Islands (Nov. 24, 2024) … The Pirates fell in the opening round of the Cayman Islands Classic to Boise State 83-69. While Hampton trailed by as many as 23 in the first half, HU cut the Bronco's advantage down to 11. The Pirates would run out of time to complete the second-half comeback.

Coach Ivan Thomas's squad had a strong start to the contest, with Etienne Stothers hitting an early three. In the opening moments of the game, the Pirates shot 66 percent from the field. Both Kyrese Mullen and Noah Farrakhan chipped in early for Hampton. Heading into the first media time out the Pirates trailed Boise State 9-7. With Wayne Bristol Jr. hitting a pair of free throws the game was tied at 9-9.

The Broncos started to take control of the contest, producing an 8-0 run. Boise State did most of its damage inside the paint and at the free-throw line. A three-by-freshman Daniel Johnson stopped the Broncos strong run of form. While Hampton's strong shooting started to simmer down, the defense kept the game within a couple of possessions.

With less than seven minutes to go in the first half, Boise State took their first double-digit lead of the contest. 25-14. The Broncos closed out the first 20 minutes on a 17-4 run. With Boise State's offense finding its rhythm, the Broncos took its largest lead of the half, 41-18. As time expired, Farrakhan hit a three from beyond the arc. The West Virginia transfer finished the half with a team-high 10 points.

Early on in the second half, Boise State held on to their 23-point lead. With Hampton shooting an improved 51 percent from the field in the final 20 minutes, the Pirates started to chip away at the Bronco's advantage. Tyler Rice provided Coach Thomas's side a spark off the bench. Rice had nine points in the second half while shooting 4-for-5 from the field. Heading into the under 12-minute media timeout, Hampton cut the lead down to 14 points.

At the 3:53 mark, a layup by Rice made it an 11-point contest, 73-62. While the Pirates continued to make shots down the stretch, the Broncos made their free throws. Hampton ran out of time to complete the second-half comeback.

Farrakhan led the Pirates offensively with 23 points and had a game-high four steals. Both Mullen and George Beal Jr. finished the contest in double figures with 12 points. Hampton returns to action on Nov. 25 at 11:00 a.m. The Pirates will face the loser of South Dakota State and Duquesne.