Hampton 85, Delaware State 84 (2 OT)
HAMPTON, Va.-- The biggest plays of the game for Hampton came from the masked man.
Wesley Dunning, wearing a mask on his face, made a 3-pointer with 11 seconds left in the second overtime Monday, then took a charge on the other end of the floor to seal an 85-84 win for the Pirates over Delaware State.
This is far from the same Hampton team that started the season by losing its first six games, all on the road, unable to close out tight ballgames.
The Pirates (10-13, 7-3 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) have won five straight, four of those on the road, two in overtime and all by a combined 13 points.
Hampton got a game-high 29 points and 10 rebounds from Du'Vaughn Maxwell, but it was Dunning's 3-pointer that erased a Delaware State lead and gave the Pirates the win.
Maxwell seemingly sealed the win in regulation with a steal and a breakaway dunk to put the Pirates up by four with nine seconds left. However, Casey Walker stepped up for Delaware State and sent the game into overtime, making two free throws and then a 3-pointer with three seconds left to tie the game at 61.
In overtime, the Pirates led by as many as four points, but the Hornets rallied, getting a 30-foot 3-pointer from Amere May to tie the game at 74 with 14 seconds left.
In the second OT, May made another long 3-pointer to give Delaware State a 81-78 lead with 1:05 left.
A Maxwell dunk cut the lead to 81-80, but May banked in another 3-pointer to give the Hornets a 84-80 lead with 24.4 seconds left. Two free throws from Deron Powers cut the lead to two.
Maxwell energized the crowd with his play, as he hit 12 of 13 shots from the field, blocked two shots and made two steals.
Ke'Ron Brown added 17 points for the Pirates and Emmanuel Okoroba 14. MEAC rookie of the week Deron Powers had 12 assists and made seven of eight free throws down the stretch. He finished with seven points as he shot 0-for-9 from the field.
Albert Thomas scored a team-high 14 points for the Hornets (10-13, 5-4). Tahj Tate and Casey Walker each scored 13, and Marques Oliver finished with 11 points and 16 rebounds.
The Hornets took a 54-52 lead with 2:28 left in regulation on a jumper from Tate.
Powers then made four straight free throws to put the Pirates back in front.
After Tate made another jumper, Powers found Okoroba for a 10-foot jumper to put the Pirates up 58-56 with 20.1 seconds left.
Maxwell showed his worth in a four-play sequence in the second half, slicing through the lane and dunking, which drew a foul, blocking a shot on the other end, tipping in another and dunking on a fast break to put the Pirates up 37-31. The only thing he didn't do is make the free throw after the foul.
The Hornets shot 44 percent overall (29 of 66), improving as the game went along, while the Pirates hit 45 percent from the field (28 of 62).
NOTES: Hampton's Feb. 23 home game against St. Peter's will take place at 2 p.m. rather than 7 p.m. and is part of the ESPN "BracketBusters" series. The game will not be televised. ... For the fifth time this season, Pirates freshman guard Powers was selected the MEAC rookie of the week. ... Delaware State had won four of its previous five games before Monday.
