HAMPTON, Va. (Interstat) — In a game defined by contrasting styles and a dramatic final minute, the Hampton Pirates erased a halftime deficit to edge the William & Mary Tribe 77-74 in a Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball game Saturday at the Convocation Center.

A crowd of 1,293 saw the Pirates improve to 12-13 overall, while the Tribe fell to 15-9.

The most critical sequence unfolded in the final 70 seconds with the score tied. After William & Mary’s Jo’el Emanuel hit a jumper to knot the game at 71 with 1:31 remaining, Hampton’s Elijah Kennedy missed a jumper but secured his own offensive rebound. The Pirates worked the ball to Xzavier Long at the top of the key, who found a cutting Etienne Strothers for a clutch 3-pointer from the wing, giving Hampton a 74-71 lead with 1:07 to play.

On the ensuing possession, William & Mary’s Chase Lowe was stripped by Hampton’s Kody Williams, leading to a fast-break dunk by Kennedy off a Williams assist, pushing the lead to five with 53 seconds left. William & Mary’s Ryan Jackson answered with a layup to cut the deficit to three, but after a defensive stop, the Tribe’s Kyle Pulliam missed a potential game-tying 3-pointer as time expired.

The game was a tale of efficiency versus volume. William & Mary dominated inside, scoring 42 points in the paint and attempting 32 free throws, making 23. However, the Tribe’s offense was crippled by an ice-cold 1-for-15 performance from 3-point range. Hampton, conversely, leveraged its offensive rebounds and perimeter shooting, hitting 9 of 21 from beyond the arc and converting William & Mary’s 12 turnovers into 15 points.

Hampton’s Xzavier Long, a 6-foot-7 forward from Washington, D.C., was the game’s standout performer, posting a double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds in 38 minutes, anchoring the Pirates’ interior defense. Guard Etienne Strothers of Newport News, Virginia, led all scorers with 18 points, including the decisive 3-pointer. Center Josh Ogundele of London added 10 points and five rebounds.

For William & Mary, Ryan Jackson of Mesa, Arizona, and Jo’el Emanuel of Suffern, New York, each scored 18 points. Jackson added three rebounds, while Emanuel grabbed five. Reese Miller of Round Rock, Texas, contributed 11 points and seven rebounds.

William & Mary controlled the first half, leading 39-35 at the break by attacking the basket. The Tribe’s lead grew to as many as seven points early in the second half. Hampton’s comeback was fueled by a 13-4 run midway through the final period, flipping a five-point deficit into a four-point lead, setting the stage for the tense finish.

Hampton’s victory defied the pregame metrics, as William & Mary entered as a 4.5-point favorite and was projected to win by a 59.8 percent probability according to Interstat’s ELO system. The combined score of 151 points narrowly went under the over/under line of 152.5.

William & Mary travels to face Northeastern on Thursday. Hampton’s next game is Friday against North Carolina A&T at Inglewood, California. The two teams will meet again in the regular-season finale on March 3 in Williamsburg, Virginia.