WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – Winston-Salem State came up just short on Monday evening at the C.E. Gaines Center in Winston-Salem as they fell in defeat 55-53 to Hampton University when Andrew Jackson's 12-footer as time expired narrowly missed the mark in a bid to send the contest to overtime.
The Rams, looking to extend their win streak to a season-high three games while simultaneously earning their first victory over the Pirates for the first time since 1995 found themselves staring at a seven-point deficit less than three minutes into the game as Hampton jumped out to an early 7-0 advantage.
It wasn't until McIntoche Alcius connected on a jumper with 11:28 remaining in the first half that the Rams would hit their first field goal of the contest, a span of 13 possessions.
Despite missing their first nine field goals and committing four turnovers before their first bucket, Winston-Salem State's confidence would never waver as the Rams mounted a 12-5 run over the next six-and-a-half minutes en route to tying the contest at 16-16 with exactly six minutes left in the first half of play.
The final 360 seconds of the seconds of the first period saw the two teams trade proverbial punches with the Rams striking the final blow with a pair of free throws before the halftime intermission as WSSU clung to the narrowest of leads after 20 minutes of play, leading 27-26.
The second half would start nearly the same way as the first half as Hampton again jumped out ahead by seven points as the Pirates used a 16-10 scoring run over 8:28 as they again pushed their advantage to seven points.
Riding the excitement of the sellout crowd of over 3,000 fans the Rams would again answer every one of Hampton's challenges as four different Rams recorded field goals during a four-minute offensive outburst that again knotted the score, this time at 42-42 with just under nine minutes to play.
Over the final nine minutes of play the game would see-saw back and forth with the contest's fate hanging in the balance as the lead would change hands eight different times with the game tied on three different occasions.
The contest would ultimately come down to a pair of possessions with different outcomes as the Pirates were able to sneak out of the Gaines Center with their eighth victory of the season and their fifth consecutive win over the Rams.
Hampton's Vincent Simpson, who had hit only three of his 16 shots in the game up to that point hit a clutch three-pointer on his 17th, and final, shot of the game as he gave the Pirates the lead for the final time of the night as HU pulled ahead by what would be the game's final score at 55-53 with 13 seconds to play.
Undaunted the Rams would mount one final, albeit unsuccessful, charge as Andrew Jackson's last shot of the game, his 11th of the contest, would find itself just off the mark as time expired in an attempt to force overtime.
The Rams were led by senior guard Brian Fisher who recorded 11 points in the loss as he was the only WSSU player to record a double-digit point total. The Pirates were led by Charles Funches and Vincent Simpson who each recorded 12 points in the victory.
The loss drops Winston-Salem State to 9-13 on the season and moves the Rams to 5-6 against MEAC teams. Hampton improves to 8-15 overall with the victory (5-6 against MEAC foes).
Winston-Salem State will take to the road for their first of four consecutive games away from home as they travel to snow-bound Baltimore, Md. to face Morgan State on Saturday, Feb. 13 at 4:00 p.m.
For additional information on WSSU men's basketball, contact the WSSU Office of Athletic Media Relations at (336) 750-2143 or log on to the Official Website of WSSU Athletics at WSSURams.com.
