The Hampton Pirates fought off a hard effort by the South Carolina State Bulldogs before finally pulling away in the second half to win the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Tournament and thus earn a bid to the NCAA Tournament next week.
Brian Darden led Hampton with 22 points and sunk four three-pointers, while Reginald Johnson Jr. added 21 of his own to hand the Pirates their second consecutive MEAC Tournament crown and third under coach Edward Joyner Jr.
South Carolina State put up a hell of a fight, with Edward Eaves chipping in 25 points off the bench and trading baskets with Hampton for most of the game, but the Pirates’ interior game just proved to be superior. Hampton out-rebounded the Bulldogs 39-28 and held South Carolina State to just 19 percent three-point shooting.
The Pirates will surely have a low seed in the tournament and is likely looking at an early exit, but don’t count the Pirates out too quickly. This team has the hunger and depending on who they play, could very well be a dark horse candidate for an upset.
Be sure to stay tuned to Campus Sports for further updates from Hampton’s path to the tournament!
