HAMPTON — Hampton University entered its men’s basketball homestand needing a response. After dropping three straight games, the Pirates were looking for something to steady them — momentum, confidence, anything that could halt the slide.
They found it this week, as the Pirates responded with back-to-back wins on their home floor, capping the stretch with a 65-63 victory over Monmouth on Thursday night to extend the Coastal Athletic Association’s longest active home winning streak to 11 games.
The pair of wins — first against North Carolina A&T, then Monmouth — steadied a Hampton team that had been competitive throughout league play but searching for results. In both games, the Pirates leaned into what has become their greatest constant: Protecting home court.
“Home environment continues to be an attribute for us,” Hampton coach Ivan Thomas said. “We needed every bit of energy that they gave us down the stretch.
“That’s the nature of what we’ve been talking about all summer since I’ve been blessed to be at the helm of this. … In order to have a chance of competing in this league, you have to win your home games. And we’ve been doing that a little bit this season, and we’re making it tough on our opponents when they come in here.”
Hampton (10-10, 4-3 CAA) set the tone early against Monmouth, opening the game on a 17-1 run and jumping out to a 19-6 lead. The early surge marked a shift from recent outings, where slow starts had forced the Pirates to play catch-up. Monmouth answered with a run of its own to pull within two, but Hampton responded again behind Etienne Strothers and Aidan Haskins, who knocked down consecutive 3-pointers to stabilize the lead.
The Hawks (9-11, 3-4) made another push late in the first half, trimming the margin to one, before Haskins drilled another 3-pointer to send Hampton into the break with a 34-30 advantage.
Monmouth carried its momentum into the second half, using a 10-2 run to take a 47-43 lead — its first since the opening minutes. But Hampton responded immediately. Haskins and Jalyke Gaines-Wyatt sparked an 8=0 run with timely 3-pointers, swinging control back to the Pirates with just less than nine minutes to play.
From there, the game tightened into a possession-by-possession battle. Monmouth briefly regained the lead on an “and-one” layup with 3:21 remaining, but Hampton never flinched.
Gaines-Wyatt took over in the final minute, attacking downhill and earning trips to the free-throw line. He converted an “and-one” to put Hampton back in front, then added two more free throws to give the Pirates a 64-62 edge with 30 seconds remaining.
“That’s something we work on every day,” Gaines-Wyatt said of his poise late. “I’m gonna get downhill and either he’s going to foul or I’m gonna finish it.”
Monmouth had one final chance after splitting a pair of free throws with 10 seconds left, but Hampton sealed the win on the defensive end. Gaines-Wyatt intercepted a pass on the Hawks’ last possession, ending the threat and preserving the victory.
“It just came down to focus and communication,” Gaines-Wyatt said.
Gaines-Wyatt finished with 16 points and four assists, while Haskins added 12 points on a season-high four 3-pointers.
For Thomas, the two wins represented growth as much as relief, especially after several close losses earlier in the season. He emphasized that the Pirates were in each of those games, but now they’re starting to get over the hump.
“We’re growing as a team,” Thomas said. “Sometimes you win, even when the scoreboard says you lose. You can’t Google how to win. You have to know what to do, and now we know what to do. We know how to finish it. We know how to close it.”
