NEWARK, DE -- Rashad West hit a free throw with nine seconds left to break a tie game and a short jumper by Brian Johnson missed the mark just before the final buzzer as the University of Delaware dropped its men’s basketball home opener with a 51-50 setback to Hampton Tuesday night at the Bob Carpenter Center.

Delaware (0-3), which fell for the ninth straight game dating back to last season, rallied back from an eight-point deficit early in the second half to grab the lead, but couldn’t put away the victory in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. Senior forward Herb Courtney (17 points) and Sam McMahon (16 points; at right) combined to score 33 of Delaware’s 50 points, but the Hens could not overcome a 39-23 rebounding deficit.

Hampton (2-3), which snapped a three-game losing streak, got a team-high 12 points off the bench from Donte Harrison while West, the team’s leading scorer at 18.0 points per game entering the contest, added 10 points. Theo Smalling and Adrian Woodard each pulled down nine rebounds to lead the Pirates’ big advantage on the boards while Matthew Pilgrim added eight points and seven rebounds.

“Offensively we got the looks we normally make, they just didn’t go down tonight,” said second-year Delaware head coach Monte Ross, whose team lost its sixth straight non-league game at the BCC. “Our guys need to have the confidence to take those shots in the future. We know how to be in ballgames, now we have to know how to win ballgames.”

Delaware, which was playing for the first time since a 76-71 setback at Rider on Nov. 17, turned the ball over just 10 times vs. Hampton, but couldn’t overcome 37.5 percent shooting from the field (18 of 48), including 4 of 18 from beyond the three-point line. The Hens’ three promising freshmen - D.J. Boney, Alphonso Dawson, and Edwin Santiago - combined to hit just 5 of 22 shots from the field with Boney leading the group with eight points. Johnson posted team-highs of seven rebounds and six assists

Hampton led the entire first half, taking a 26-25 lead into halftime and upping the margin to 41-33 on a layup by Jordan Brooks with 12:38 left to play. But the Hens battled back by scoring 10 straight points, taking their first lead at 43-41 with 9:16 remaining when McMahon hit his second three-pointer of the run.

Hampton’s Harrison followed with a layup just 11 seconds later to tie the score at 43-43 but McMahon later hit a jumper to tie the score at 47-47 with 6:39 and gave the Hens their final lead at 48-47 on a free throw at the 4:50 mark. A free throw by West tied the score at 48-48 and Hampton went up 50-48 on a jumper by Brooks with 3:25 remaining.

Delaware tied it up again at 50-50 when Santiago drove the lane and scored at the 3:01 mark. The Hens had the chance to take the lead but Dawson missed a free throw with 1:56 left and McMahon’s jumper off a fast break just missed at the 1:16 mark.

Hampton’s West had the chance to give the Pirates the lead but his three-pointer was off the mark with 41 seconds left. However, Smalling got the rebound to keep the possession alive and Santiago fouled West with nine seconds left. West missed the first free throw but converted the second to give Hampton the 51-50 lead.

After Hampton called a timeout, Delaware raced down the court but a short jumper by Johnson just outside of the lane missed the mark before the final buzzer.

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