Hampton vs. Manhattan: Score and Twitter Reaction from March Madness 2015

Who says teams that finish under .500 on the season can't win NCAA tournament games?

Hampton had a losing record at 16-17 but got the NCAA tournament started with a 74-64 victory over Manhattan in Tuesday's First Four game in Dayton, Ohio. Quinton Chievous led the way with 15 points and 13 rebounds before leaving with an injury, while Reginald Johnson added 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.

Shane Richards spearheaded Manhattan's offense with 17 points.

Hampton controlled the first half and took a 38-31 lead into intermission.

Manhattan shot 3-of-13 from three-point range and 6-of-13 from the free-throw line in the opening 20 minutes, which helped the Pirates open up an early double-digit lead and maintain the advantage into the locker rooms. However, the lead would have been bigger if Hampton shot better than 5-of-13 from the charity stripe.

Hampton basketball pointed that out:

Manhattan came out of the locker room with more energy, though, and trimmed the lead to 42-39 in the opening minutes of the second half. Turner Sports passed along a troublesome quote for Hampton from commentator Steve Smith:

Hampton grabbed some momentum back when Chievous threw down yet another dunk and impressed Austin Ward of ESPN in the process:

Manhattan center Ashton Pankey probably wasn't surprised when the Pirates maintained their lead in the first 10 minutes of the second half, as he said prior to the game, per Howie Kussoy of the New York Post: “A team like Hampton is extremely hard to prepare for, simply because they take tough shots. That’s things we can’t teach. You can’t really prepare for that.”

Hampton continued to hold on to its lead with timely baskets and formidable defense and led, 56-50, with less than eight minutes remaining. The Student Section pointed out that the Jaspers looked to be in over their heads:

That appeared to be the case, but Manhattan chipped away at the lead with a solid full-court press. Pat O'Keefe of News 12 The Bronx/Brooklyn pointed out that RaShawn Stores was a big part of that:

However, Emmanuel Okoroba made two critical consecutive layups after Manhattan trimmed the lead to 63-58 to open up a nine-point lead with less than two minutes left. From there, the Pirates actually made a few free throws and held on for a 74-64 victory.

What's Next?

Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Technically, Hampton was the winner Tuesday, but now it gets to play the mighty Kentucky Wildcats.

A No. 16 seed has never beaten a No. 1 since the tournament expanded to 64 teams (now 68), and it's probably not going to happen when the Pirates play John Calipari's squad Thursday in Louisville, Kentucky. After all, Kentucky steamrolled its way through the regular season with an undefeated record and then won the SEC tournament without a blemish.

Hampton coach Edward Joyner Jr. put it best in his post game interview, per Nicole Auerbach of USA Today:

"

Hampton's coach on facing Kentucky, and Jesus on speed dial. pic.twitter.com/cA8TUexBBt

— Nicole Auerbach (@NicoleAuerbach) March 18, 2015"

The bottom line is Hampton's players better enjoy Tuesday's win because it's the last one they are going to get this season.

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