On court but not in rhythm
Rusty after a long pause prompted by COVID-19 protocols, Hampton University falls 72-58 to High Point in the Pirates’ first game since Jan. 15. Also in men’s basketball, Norfolk State wins but Old Dominion can’t complete a sweep.
“It was a tough night. We hadn’t played in three weeks and everything that can happen off a three-week layoff happened.”
— Hampton coach Buck Joyner
HAMPTON — Hampton University men’s basketball was on a pause for nearly a month as the Pirates navigated through COVID-19 protocols, and in their first game back, the Pirates are still searching for the “play” button.
Hampton (7-9 overall, 6-5 conference) fell to High Point 72-58 in the Pirates’ Big South return Sunday at the HU Convocation Center.
“It was a tough night,” Hampton coach Buck Joyner said. “We hadn’t played in three weeks and everything that can happen off a three-week layoff happened.”
Davion Warren had a team-high 21 points on 7-of-14 shooting and Chris Shelton added 12 points on 4-of-6 shooting from the 3-point line for the Pirates. Deuce Dean had eight points and five assists.
John-Michael Wright scored a game-high 24 points with eight rebounds for High Point (7-9, 5-6), coached by Tubby Smith, who led Kentucky to the NCAA Division I championship in 1998. Ahmil Flowers and Lydell Elmore combined for 29 points. Protocols
The Pirates received news of a positive COVID-19 test two days after their win at USC Upstate on Jan. 15 and were forced into the school’s safety protocols.
Since then, Hampton postponed two games each against Campbell, Winthrop and Longwood as players and coaches could only meet daily via Zoom calls.
No reschedule dates have been announced.
The Pirates held three practices late this week in preparation for their return, but two of them featured just six players, Joyner said.
Shaking off rust
Out of the gate, Hampton fell behind 16-6 in the first seven minutes, and frustration settled in as the Pirates recorded their eighth foul at the midway point of the first half.
As free throws piled up, High Point seized a 37-23 lead and any optimism was filtering out.
However, Hampton shook off some rust after halftime, storming to tie the game at 42 with 15:33 left before old habits returned.
Warren missed two potential go-ahead free throws and Dean missed a go-ahead open layup. Wright’s 3-pointer to make it 45-42 destroyed Hampton’s momentum.
“You can’t keep digging yourself out of a hole,” Joyner said. “I think it hurt us psychologically that we had to keep digging in.”
Familiar woes continue Foul trouble and rebounding issues continued to plague the Pirates.
High Point made 29 of 37 free throws and grabbed a stunning 60 rebounds to Hampton’s 31. That includes a staggering 26-3 advantage on the offensive glass.
That the Panthers shot an abysmal 29% from the field didn’t matter.
“We fouled a lot and they doubled us in rebounds,” Joyner said before offering a solution moving forward.
“You gotta let them know the things they did well and talk about the things you didn’t do well and come to the reality of why. We just gotta play our way through this.” Up next
Hampton plays High Point again at 4 p.m. Monday to finish the two-game set before Presbyterian arrives at the Convocation Center for two games on Thursday and Friday at 6 p.m. and 4 p.m., respectively.