Hampton Edges William & Mary in Thrilling 77-74 Contest
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A late surge propelled Hampton to a narrow 77-74 victory over William & Mary on Saturday afternoon at the Convocation Center, despite a strong performance from the Tribe.
The William & Mary Tribe (15-9, 6-6 CAA) controlled the majority of the second half, but a decisive push from Hampton in the final moments, highlighted by a clutch three-pointer from Etienne Strothers and a fast-break dunk by Elijah Kennedy following a steal, sealed the win for the home team.
Jackson Jr. Shines in Defeat
Sophomore Ryan Jackson, Jr. led the Tribe with a career-high 18 points, efficiently converting 6-of-7 field goals. Senior Kyle Pulliam contributed 13 points, demonstrating accuracy at the free-throw line with 7-of-8 conversions. Graduate student Jo’el Emanuel and junior Reese Miller added 12 and 11 points, respectively. Miller also secured a team-high seven rebounds, while Emanuel added five.
Notably, Emanuel reached a significant milestone during the game, surpassing 1,000 points for his career after transferring to William & Mary following three years at FDU.
Pirates Overcome Early Deficit
Hampton (12-13, 6-6 CAA) initially jumped to a seven-point lead, 19-12, following a three-pointer from Aidan Haskins early in the contest. However, William & Mary responded with a strong rally, taking a four-point lead into halftime. The Tribe effectively shut down Hampton’s offense in the closing minutes of the first half, holding them scoreless from the field for a stretch of 6:50. During this period, the Green and Gold embarked on a 14-3 run to seize the lead.
A layup from Finn Lally gave W&M the lead at 35-33, and a subsequent pair of free throws from Emanuel extended the margin to five. These free throws also marked Emanuel’s 1,000th career point.
Second-Half Lead Slips Away
William & Mary extended its lead to as much as eight points in the second half. A coast-to-coast layup by Emanuel off a defensive rebound pushed the advantage to 49-41 with 14:45 remaining. A layup from Jackson, Jr. at the 10:40 mark gave the Tribe a 58-51 lead, but Hampton quickly began its comeback.
The Pirates embarked on a 9-0 run, taking their first lead of the final 20 minutes on a pair of Kennedy free throws with 8:19 left. William & Mary answered with six consecutive points to regain the lead. Jackson, Jr. scored the final four points of this stretch, including a powerful dunk to put W&M ahead 64-60 with 5:43 remaining.
The lead changed hands several times in the final minutes. After Hampton briefly took the lead on a Xzaiver Long layup with two minutes remaining, Emanuel responded with a spinning layup to put the visitors ahead 72-71 with 1:31 left. While the Tribe initially disrupted Hampton’s offensive set, the Pirates secured a crucial offensive rebound. Strothers then knocked down a three-pointer to give Hampton a lead they would not relinquish.
Final Moments Seal Tribe’s Fate
Hampton forced a William & Mary turnover just 14 seconds later, leading to a fast-break dunk from Kennedy, extending the lead to 76-72. A layup from Jackson, Jr. narrowed the gap to two, and Pulliam blocked a Hampton shot on the ensuing possession. William & Mary had a final opportunity to tie or take the lead, but Emanuel’s three-point attempt fell short. After Daniel Johnson made one of two free throws, Pulliam had a last-second chance from the left wing, but his shot bounced off the front rim.
Despite shooting 49% (25-of-51) from the floor, William & Mary struggled from beyond the arc, connecting on only 1-of-15 three-point attempts. The Tribe excelled at the free-throw line, making 23-of-32 (71.9%), and outscored Hampton 45-22 in the paint.
Strothers led Hampton with 18 points, shooting 4-of-6 from three-point range and contributing three assists. Long recorded a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds, while Kennedy scored all 13 of his points in the second half. The Pirates shot 41.8% (23-of-55) from the field and 9-of-21 (42.9%) from three-point range, and were 22-of-31 (71%) at the free-throw line. Hampton capitalized on 12 offensive rebounds, scoring 15 second-chance points.
Up Next for the Tribe
William & Mary will travel to face Northeastern on Thursday, Feb. 12, with a 7 p.m. tip-off. The game will be broadcast on FloCollege, and fans can tune into the radio broadcast on the Tribe Sports Network with Jay Colley on The Tide 92.3 FM in Williamsburg.
