Hampton 72, Florida A&M 62
Guard Deron Powers scored 22 points and forward Du'Vaughn Maxwell added 15 as the Hampton Pirates opened their Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference season with a 72-62 victory over the Florida A&M Rattlers on Saturday night in Hampton, Va.
The Pirates (4-5, 1-0 MEAC) trailed 17-9 in the first half but rallied to a 36-31 halftime lead as Powers scored 10 points in the final 8:58.
The Rattlers (2-7, 0-2) reclaimed a brief second-half edge, but the Pirates pushed for a double-digit lead that later reached 16 points on three occasions, the last when Maxwell's jumper in the paint opened a 61-45 Hampton lead with 5:42 to play.
Center Emmanuel Okoroba added 10 points for the winners. Guard Reggie Lewis topped Florida A&M with 10 points while guard Jamie Adams added 15 as the Rattlers dropped their fifth in six games.
Hampton hosts Bethune-Cookman on Monday night in its second MEAC match of the season. Florida A&M is idle until Dec. 17 when it plays a non-conference match at Mississippi State.
