Hampton Withstands Elon Comeback to Win on Mullen’s Layup
Rob Washburn
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 8, 2024) – Sophomore Kyrese Mullen converted a layup off an inbounds play with 6.3 seconds remaining to lift 14
th-seeded Hampton over #11 Elon, 56-55, in the first round of the Jersey Mike’s CAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Friday evening at the Entertainment & Sports Arena.
It was the first-ever CAA Tournament win for Hampton (9-23), which advances to face #6 Delaware in second round action at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. Elon ended its year with a 13-19 record.
Freshman Jerry Deng scored a team-high 16 points for the Pirates and Ja’Von Benson added 11 points, all of which came in the second half. The Phoenix got a team-high 18 points from sophomore TK Simpkins and junior Sam Sherry recorded a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds.
Hampton was up 34-25 at the half and pushed the margin to 10 (49-39) with 8:43 to play when Benson slammed home a dunk after a lob pass from Deng. However, Elon responded with a 13-2 surge and grabbed a 52-51 advantage on a Sam Sherry bucket with 4:16 on the clock. It was Elon’s first lead since the opening two minutes of the contest.
A Deng three-pointer with 2:55 to go put Hampton ahead by two, but Simpkins nailed a trey from the top of the key with 25 seconds left to give Elon a 55-54 edge. After having a shot blocked out of bounds, Ford Cooper, Jr. delivered a perfect pass under the basket to Mullen, who finished off the glass for the fourth lead change in the final 4:42. Elon had a final opportunity, but Isaac Harrell’s 3-pointer was off the mark as time expired.
Hampton controlled play in the first half and went up 27-16 with 4:45 left in the period on a Deng dunk that punctuated a 7-0 run. The Pirates pushed the margin to 14 on a Jordan Nesbitt three-point play before the Phoenix closed within 34-25 at the break.
Both teams struggled offensively, with Hampton shooting 37.3% from the floor and Elon hitting just 33.9% of its shots. The Phoenix was also 11-of-21 at the free throw line while the Pirates converted 8-of-9 at the stripe.
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