Dec. 18, 2001
Norfolk, VA- Hampton University's Devin Green scored 24 points to lead his team to a 84-77 victory over host Old Dominion this evening. The Pirates improve to 8-1 on the season while ODU falls to 6-3.
The Pirates' speed and athleticism were apparent early on in the contest, as the visitors raced out to an early lead that stretched to as many as seven points. Green and fellow forward Isaac Jefferson were pivotal for the Pirates in the first period, Green finished with 11 and Jefferson had seven points in the first half.
Old Dominion finally pulled even with the Pirates late in the first half, tying the game twice with a Pierre Greene (Chicago, IL) jumper and a pair of Ricardo Marsh (Mebane, NC) free throws. The Monarchs finally went ahead with under two minutes to go in the half, as freshman Kiah Thomas (Norfolk, VA) combined with Marsh for a 6-0 spurt to close the first stanza and send ODU to the locker room up 39-33.
The seesaw play continued in the second half as Old Dominion went ahead by eight. A technical foul was called on the Hampton bench, sending Rasheed Wright (Greensboro, NC) to the line. The junior sank both baskets for a 43-35 ODU lead with 19:02 left.
Five minutes later Hampton took the lead again on Devin Greene three-pointer, and both sides continued swapping baskets. ODU's John Waller (Richmond, VA) hit two crucial three's for the Monarchs, but Pirate guard Barry Hairston put his side up for good at the six-minute mark, converting a lay-up for a 69-68 lead.
Old Dominion went cold in the final minutes, turning the ball over several times near the basket and missing opportunities to convert. Green sealed the win for the Pirates with a trey at 1:27, pushing the Hampton lead to 10.
The Pirates shot .582 for the game and registered 12 steals. The Monarchs shot .448 and outrebounded Hampton 38-28, but turned the ball over six more times as well.
Pirate guards Tommy Adams and Barry Hairston scored 20 and 16, respectively, for Hampton. Isaac Jefferson finished with 11 points, seven assists and six steals.
Old Dominion was paced by Marsh, who tallied 24 points and nine rebounds. Rasheed Wright scored 16 with three boards.
The Monarchs will return to action on Friday, when they host UNC-Wilmington in a pivotal CAA match-up.