HAMPTON, Va. (HamptonAthletics.com) – Senior Davion Warren paced four in double figures with 22 points and eight rebounds as Hampton fell 85-77 to UNC Asheville to close out a Big South Conference series on Sunday afternoon.
UNC Asheville used an 18-5 run over a near six and a half minute span to push a three point lead to 16 as Trent Stephney drained a pair of free throws to lead 28-12 at the 8:06 mark. Hampton trimmed the lead to 30-19 on a 3-pointer from Marquis Godwin with just under six minutes left, but Asheville closed the half taking a 45-26 lead on a half-court 3-pointer by LJ Thorpe.
In the second half, a three-point play by Thorpe pushed the lead to 48-26 just 24 seconds into the second half. Hampton went on a 20-6 run to trim the deficit to 54-46 on a Chris Shelton 3-pointer with 11:52 on the clock. The Pirates got the deficit as close as seven on a steal and layup by Russell Dean with four minutes left.
Hampton hit a season high 60.6% from the floor in the second half going 20-of-33 and hit 5-of-9 from behind the arch (55.6%). Shelton was 4-of-4 from behind the arc with 15 points, while Godwin added 13 points and a career-high tying seven rebounds. Dean added 12 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
The Pirates now travel to USC Upstate for a two-game series starting on Thursday night at 6 pm.
