Pirates struggle offensively despite strong defensive effort and late run.
BOSTON — Hampton men’s basketball turned in one of its stronger defensive performances of the season Tuesday night, but it wasn’t enough to overcome cold shooting in a 63-52 loss to Boston College at Conte Forum.
The Pirates held the Eagles to just 39.3% shooting and special them to 18.5% from three, but Hampton shot just 35% from the field and went 4-of-23 from deep.
Xzavier Long gave Hampton an early spark, scoring four of the team’s first six points. But out of the first media timeout, Boston College responded with a 9-3 run to build an 18-9 lead. The Eagles’ pressure defense continued to frustrate the Pirates, who managed just 11 points through the first 12 minutes on 5-of-14 shooting.
Freshman Quintin Cooper provided a lift late in the opening half with a pair of pull-up jumpers. After trailing by as many as 16, the Pirates trimmed the deficit to nine on back-to-back drives from Long and Etienne Strothers. Boston College, however, banger a buzzer-beating three to take a 37-26 advantage into halftime.
Long led Hampton with six first-half points as seven different Pirates scored, but 11 turnovers proved costly, leading to eight Eagles points.
Out of the break, both teams traded baskets before Hampton’s offense went cold. The Pirates shot just 12.5% over the first 10 minutes of the second half, allowing Boston College to stretch its lead to 16.
Hampton closed strong with a 16-5 run over the final 6:44, highlighted by an Elijah Kennedy three-pointer that sealed the final margin, but the early offensive struggles were too much to overcome.
Long and Daniel Johnson each scored 11 points to lead the Pirates, with Johnson adding a team-high seven rebounds. Hampton outrebounded BC 39-38 but couldn’t capitalize enough on the glass to close the gap.
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