Saturday, November 15, 2025
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N’famara Dabo PHOTO: Brown
The Hampton University men’s basketball team picked up a gritty road win over Brown Friday night inside the Pizzitola Sports Center 72-63.
The two teams jumped out to a hot start Friday night, scoring a combined 16 points through the first four minutes of the game. The Pirates were led by Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt who scored five of the team’s eight points.
The Pirates defense quickly settled in from there, forcing the Bears into five turnovers early, with four Pirates recording a steal.
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Hampton used defense to close out the final 10 minutes of the first half. The Pirates were able to force Brown into 11 first-half turnovers, in which the Pirates cashed in six points. Although the Pirates’ defense was stifling in the first half, the separator between the two teams was Hampton’s ability to rebound. Hampton out-rebounded Brown 21 to 12 in the first 20 minutes, with seven of those coming on the offensive end.
“Tremendous respect for coach Mike Martin and his program, thank you to him for inviting us to play in this MTE”, Pirate head coach Ivan Thomas stated. “It was a great competitive battle of two teams desperate for a win, and we were fortunate enough to get the win today.”
The highlight for the Bears was N’famara Dabo, who recorded a program record 11 blocks.
The Pirates shot just 34.3 percent from the field in the first half, but held a 30-27 lead at the break. Daniel Johnson’s 10 points led the way for Hampton, as he was the only double-digit scorer in the first 20 minutes. Gaines-Wyatt dished out a team-best three assists, and Xzavier Long recorded a game-high nine rebounds.
After a Brown run, Etienne Strothers swung the momentum back in favor of the Pirates with a put-back tomahawk dunk to give Hampton a 53-46 lead at the 7:29 mark.
The Pirates continued to grow that lead over the course of the final seven minutes, growing their lead to as many as 12 points, and weathered a late Bears rally to win game one of the College Hill Classic 72-63.
Three Pirates scored in double figures in Eley (18), Johnson (17) and Gaines-Wyatt (16). Long led the way on the glass, pulling down 15 rebounds for the second time in three games. Hampton shot 40.7 percent from the floor on the night and continued their theme of the first half, out-rebounding Brown 38-27.
Brown will conclude the Brown Bears Invitational on Tuesday, Nov. 18, when they welcome Holy Cross. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside the Pizzitola Sports Center.
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