The commencement of conference play has not gone well for the Hampton Pirates men's basketball team, as their losing streak extends to six in a row following losses to the Delaware Blue Hens and Campbell Fighting Camels. In their first three games of conference play, the Pirates have allowed 80 or more points. They currently rank 13th in the CAA in scoring defense, just above North Carolina A&T in last place.

Statistically, the Pirates are an anomaly. They rank third in total rebounding and are good on both the offensive and defensive glass. Though they don't block shots at an amazing clip, Hampton ranks second in total steals and is just two steals away from first place.

The most glaring issue for the Pirates is their tendency to turn the ball over. Hampton is 12th of 14 teams in turnover margin and second-to-last in assist-to-turnover ratio. In their last six games, the Pirates have lost the turnover battle in four of them. Ironically, in their two closest losses to Eastern Michigan and Bowling Green, they won the turnover battle.

Following their opening CAA loss to Drexel, the Pirates traveled north to play at the then 9-5 Delaware Blue Hens. Hampton's Kyrese Mullen scored the first basket of the game: that was the only time the Pirates led. The Blue Hens proceeded to rip off a 15-2 run, followed by another 17-4 run to take a 32-10 lead with over nine minutes left. Delaware maintained a 20-point advantage for nearly the rest of the first half until Tedrick Wilcox and Trey Thomas cut the lead to 16 going into the half.

Hampton actually opened the second half with an 8-2 run to cut the lead down to 43-33. Tristan Maxwell and Thomas hit two straight three-pointers, and a layup from Mullen forced the Blue Hens to call a timeout. Unfortunately for the Pirates, the 10-point deficit is as close as they would get. In response to Hampton's sudden burst, Delaware went on a 20-2 run over the next nine minutes. The Blue Hen's lead eventually ballooned to more than 30 points multiple times before a late score from Hampton cut the final score to 80-53.

The Delaware Blue Hens were extremely efficient as a team, shooting just under 50 percent. Jyare Davis led all scorers with 17 points. He made five of his eight shot attempts, and made all seven of his free throws. Niels Lane followed right behind Davis with 15 points on six for seven shooting. Gerald Drumgoole Jr. nearly had a double-double of 14 points and eight rebounds. Jalun Trent followed him with 13 points, and Christian Ray grabbed 13 rebounds to pair with his nine points.

Trey Thomas led the Pirates off the bench with 16 points. Tristan Maxwell had 14 points, but he made just five of his 19 shots. Kyrese Mullen finished well below his season average of 15.1 points as he only put up eight points along with seven rebounds.

After the loss at Delaware, the Pirates returned home to the Convocation Center in Hampton, Virginia to take on Campbell Fighting Camels on Jan. 6.

In the first half against the Camels, Hampton played a much more competitive game. They matched baskets with Campbell throughout the first half, largely thanks to the emergence of Tedrick Wilcox. Wilcox scored all 18 of his points in the first half, including four three-pointers. After trading the lead with Campbell a few times, Wilcox made a three-pointer and a layup to give Hampton a firm 25-19 lead. Although Campbell cut the deficit to just three points at the end of the half, Hampton maintained the lead throughout the period. The Camels tied the game at 37, but a Wilcox three-pointer put the Pirates up right before halftime.

Shortly into the second half, the Camels reclaimed the lead. Hampton would never lead again. After tying the game at 42, Anthony Dell'Orso made another layup following his teammate Laurynas Vaistaras, giving them a 46-42 lead. Hampton kept the game within seven points throughout the half, but Vaistaras eventually scored, putting the Camels up 65-55 with eight minutes to play. They continued on a 9-0 run, taking a commanding 74-55 advantage. Campbell kept the double-digit for the rest of the game. They finished with an 80-69 win, their seventh of the year.

Anthony Dell'Orso and Jasin Sinani combined for nearly half of the Campbell Fighting Camel's 80 points. Dell'Orso finished with 19 points and two steals. Sinani hit three three-pointers on his way to 18 points, five rebounds, and two steals. Laurynas Vaistaras had 14 points to go along with his six rebounds, five assists, and four steals. Elijah Walsh was the final double-digit scorer for the Camels, putting up 13 points, six rebounds, and two steals.

After an electrifying first half, Wilcox couldn't buy a bucket in the second. He finished with his original 18 points, three rebounds, and two steals. Kyrese Mullen got back on track as he put up 16 points, but it took him 15 shot attempts (he made six). Mullen also grabbed 15 rebounds. Freshman Jerry Deng finished with 11 points after making three of four three-point attempts.

The Pirates continue their four-game home stand against the 6-9 William & Mary Tribe on Jan. 11. The Tribe are coming off a 77-55 loss to the Drexel Dragons. Hampton plays North Carolina A&T on Jan. 15 as their final home game before traveling to New York to play Hofstra three days later.