On Tuesday night, Hampton was unable to derail a team on a mission.
The Bulldogs came up short in overtime as they fell 68-59 to South Greene in conference play. The loss marked Hampton’s first regular season conference loss since February 2013.
The Bulldogs opened the game in style as Coby Jones scored six early points to push Hampton to an 11-4 lead. However, South Greene’s Daniel Worley knocked down a trey and Tweed jit a jumper to pull South Greene within two points midway through the quarter. Hampton ended the quarter on a 8-2 run, limiting South Greene to just two free throws in the final 4:02 of the period, to take a 19-11 lead into the second quarter.
After Logan Tweed opened the quarter with a bucket for the Rebels, Hampton’s Stanley Valentine and Jones knocked down shots that sparked a 10-2 run that increased the Bulldogs’ lead to 14 points. However, Worley stopped the run with a 3-pointer, and Trey Brown scored the quarter’s final four points to pull the Rebels within 31-22 at the half.
The Rebels began the second half on a roll as Worley scored the first six points of the third quarter to spark a 15-4 run that saw a Tweed basket give South Greene a 37-36 lead. The Bulldogs answered with a quick 8-2 run to take a 44-39 lead into the final stanza.
After the teams traded buckets to open the final period, Trey Brown hit a pair of free throws and Tweed knocked down a jumper to tie the game at 48-48 with just over four minutes to play. Hampton edged out ahead by four points before the final minute, but the Rebels weren’t finished yet.
Tweed hit a free throw and added a jump to pull within one point with 23.6 seconds remaining. After a missed Hampton free throw on a one-and-one, Brown was fouled with 4.2 seconds and proceeded to tie the game on a made free throw to force overtime.
The Rebels jumped out quickly in the extra period as Tweed drained a 3-pointer. After Hampton’s Valentine hit a shot with just under three minutes to play, the Rebels Worrells hit a shot to extend the lead back to three. The South Greene defense forced a Hampton turnover and held the Bulldogs scoreless for a two and half minute stretch while offensively going 9-for-10 from the free throw line to secure the win.
Jones and Valentine led Hampton with 18 and 17 points, respectively. Tweed finished with 26 points for the Rebels.
Postgame Audio
South Greene Head Coach Terry Hoese
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