HAMPTON, VA.  – Andrew Ball contributed a career-high 19 points but Hampton University held off a second-half charge by the Monmouth University men's basketball team for a 65-63 on Thursday night.

Monmouth struck first in the contest on a three-pointer from Jack Collins at 19:36. However, Hampton responded with a 17-2 run and took a 17-5 lead with 12:51 showing on the clock. The two sides traded points as the Pirates held a 19-6 advantage at 11:59. It was Hampton's largest lead of the game.

Monmouth responded by scoring 15 of the next 20 points in the game and cut the Hampton lead to 24-21 with 6:21 remaining in the half. Ball knocked down a pair of triples in that stretch. The Pirates pushed their lead to eight, 31-23 before the Hawks cut the deficit to one, 31-30 on a Cornelius Robinson III bucket at 2:20. 

Hampton took a 34-30 lead at the break. 

Monmouth scored five of the first seven points in the second half and cut the Hampton lead to one, 36-35 with 17:44 to play. The two teams traded baskets over the next several minutes. 

Monmouth took its first lead since the opening possession when Ball drained a triple at 13:48, 42-41. 

Another three-pointer from Ball at 12:03 gave Monmouth its largest lead of the contest, 47-43. 

Hampton took the lead back and pushed it to five before a Jack Collins' layup at 3:38, cut it to one, 57-56.

Neither team took a lead of more than three points over the final three minutes of the game. Hampton went 4-for-5 from the foul line in the final minute of play to close out the 65-63 win.

Notes

• Andrew Ball had a game and career-high 19 points to lead the Hawks. That bettered his previous career-high of 18 points set on January 8 against William & Mary.
• Ball has now scored in double figures in back-to-back games and nine times this season.
• Jason Rivera-Torres reached double figures with 12 points in the contest. He has reached double digits in 17 of the Hawks' 20 games this season.
• Jack Collins dished out seven assists in the contest. It was his twelfth game this season with five or more assists in a game. Collins continues to lead the CAA while averaging 5.5 assists per game.
• Cornelius Robinson III led all players with nine rebounds in the contest.
• The Hawks blocked five shots in the contest. It was their twelfth game of the season with five or more blocks.
• Monmouth shot 45.5% from the field while holding Hampton to a 39.2%.
• Hampton made 17-of-22 chances from the foul line while the Hawks were just 5-for-12.
• Both teams made eight three-pointers in the contest.
• Monmouth won the rebounding battle, 35-31.
• Collins started the 115th game of his career; he needs to make two more starts to move into second place on the program's all-time starts list.

Up Next

• Monmouth wraps up the weekend as it visits Campbell on Saturday, Jan. 24. The tip in that game has been moved up to 12 p.m. and can be seen on FloCollege.