Hampton (7-13, 3-4 MEAC) finished the game with a season-high 55 rebounds.
The Pirates were led by sophomore center David Bruce (Linden, N.J.), who recorded his fifth double-double of the season with a team-high 19 points and 12 rebounds, but Bruce was not the only Pirate crashing the boards Tuesday night. Senior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.) also recorded a double-double with a career-high 13 points and a career-high-tying 12 rebounds for his second double-double of the season.
The game was a back-and-forth affair in the first half, with the largest lead being five, which both teams held at one point.
The Pirates went up by four, with the score 8-4 following a layup by senior guard Mike Tuitt (Bronx, N.Y.) at the 18:06 mark, but the Bulldogs tied the game back up at 8-8 following two good buckets from Brandon Riley.
Hampton went on a 9-0 run that started when Agbelese made a jumper at the 8:41 mark to cut South Carolina State’s lead to 23-21. The Bulldogs stopped the run when Joe Ikhinmwin drained a 3-pointer at the 6:10 mark to pull SCSU back within two of the lead, 28-26.
Ikhinmwin’s shot stated a 13-3 run for the Bulldogs, giving them a 36-31 lead. Senior guardChristopher Tolson (Laurel, Md.) hit four free throws for the Pirates, but it was not enough, as Ikhinmwin drained another 3-pointer to give the Bulldogs a 40-35 advantage heading into the half.
Khalif Toombs made the first shot of the second half to put the Bulldogs up by eight points, but the Pirates went on a 10-2 run started by Bruce, which pulled Hampton within one point, 45-44, with 13:33 left to play.
Hampton later went on an 11-0 run to take an eight-point lead, 55-47, with 9:21 left to play, and the Pirates never looked back. Hampton led by as many as 15 points at one point, with the Bulldogs getting as close as three points on one occasion, but the Pirates went on a 13-0 run started by a deep 3-pointer by Tolson at the 6:55 mark.
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