Troy Smith chipped in 11 points at Hampton.
Boxscore
HAMPTON, Va. – Hampton was the only team to sweep the Bears in two contests last season. Morgan State changed that trend tonight.
Morgan State (10-7, 3-0 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference) finished with four players scoring in double-figures, led by Reggie Holmes who paced the Bears with 16 points to defeat Hampton 73-63 on Monday night at the HU Convocation Center.
Morgan State scored the first five points of the second half and Joe Davis hit a jumper with 14:01 left to give the Bears a 45-43 lead. The Bears used a 14-4 spurt over a 3 minute span and a layup by Sean Thomas pushed the lead to 53-47.
Charles Funches scored a career-high 17 points for the Pirates (4-11, 1-2 MEAC), who closed the deficit to 57-56 on a dunk by Michael Freeman in the second half. But Holmes answered with a 3-pointer and scored eight points in the final eight minutes to ensure Morgan State its eighth-straight conference win.
The Bears held a 40-30 advantage on the boards, led by Thompson who hauled down a game-high nine. Morgan State's bench outscored the Pirates by a 27-9 margin.
Morgan State shot 16-for-22 from the free throw line, including four of seven free throws down the stretch to pull out the win.
Darrion Pellum added 13 points for the Pirates (4-11, 1-2 MEAC). Michael Freeman and Vincent Simpson each chipped in 12 points for the Pirates.
Holmes, ranked among the nation's top scorers (23.6 ppg), was blanketed by Hampton's defense and was held to just three points in the first half. The Pirate's defense not only held Holmes in check, it also stymied low-post threat Thompson, and forced the Bears into committing 9 turnovers.
The Bears trailed 38-32 at halftime, for their lowest-scoring half this season, and shot just one free throw.
The Bears will hit the road by the end of the week to play the South Carolina State Bulldogs on Saturday, Jan. 16th. The game will be televised by ESPN2 and tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
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