NORFOLK, Va. (Oct. 26, 2025) … In a game that Hampton controlled for the first 35 minutes, the Pirates withstood a furious Old Dominion rally to post an 82-79 victory in an exhibition basketball contest at Norfolk's Chartway Arena.

"Our goal was to give a lot of players time on the court. We used multiple offenses and had different line-ups which was one of our goals. It was an exhibition game but you want to win every time you set foot on the court," said Coach Ivan Thomas.

Leading 65-52 with 4:42 remaining, Old Dominion stormed back, outscoring the Pirates 14-4 to close to 69-66 with 2:46 left. But the Pirates made their last five shots from the field and five of their last six free throw attempts to keep the Monarchs at bay. Old Dominion could get no closer than three the rest of the way.

Ivan Thomas's team shot a sizzling 58 percent from the field holding Old Dominion to 46 percent shooting. Twelve players saw action for the Pirate with each entering the scoring column. Alcorn State transfer Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt led the Pirates with 18 points. Xzavier Long registered a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds and Southern Miss transfer Christian Watson had 12 points.

The Pirates took a quick 4-0 lead and maintained an advantage throughout most of the first half. The lead grew to as many as 13, 25-12, with 8:56 to go when on a pair of free throws by Long. Old Dominion rallied but the Pirates responded and led 41-32 at intermission. Twelve players saw action for the Pirates in the opening half with nine playing at least eight minutes. The Hampton bench accounted for 26 of Hampton's 41 points.

Hampton shot 57.1 percent from the floor in the first half while holding the Monarchs to 42.3 percent accuracy. Long led Hampton with nine points and six boards. Watson scored eight points and Gaines-Wyatt added seven for the Pirates.

The Pirates maintained a comfortable lead for most of the second half. Hampton led 64-51, matching their biggest lead, when freshman Quintin Cooper canned a jumper with 8:31 to go. As the game wound down, the Monarchs made their move. But the Pirates were ready and met the challenge to come away with the way.

Hampton opens the 2025-26 regular-season on the road when the Pirates play at Milwaukee on Nov. 3. The home opener is scheduled for Nov. 6 against Mid-Atlantic Christian at the Convocation Center.