HAMPTON, Va. – Hampton converted five Norfolk State turnovers into 21 points and held off a fourth-quarter Spartan rally to take a 28-14 victory in the 50th annual Battle of the Bay on Saturday afternoon at Armstrong Stadium.

The Pirates improve to 1-4 on the year, 1-2 in the MEAC. The Spartans lost their fifth straight game and are now 2-5, 0-4.

Hampton wasted no time taking an early lead. Following the opening kickoff, HU drove 64 yards on 12 plays. Jeremiah Schwartz capped the march with a 10-yard touchdown run.

Later in the quarter, NSU fumbled a punt which Hampton's Carvin Johnson recovered at the Spartan 36. After a personal foul on the Spartans, Travis Champion hit Javaris Brown for a 20-yard touchdown pass, giving the Pirates a 14-0 lead with 1:58 left in the period.

The only score of the second quarter was again due to an NSU turnover. With the Spartans backed up in their own end, Jake Basmagian's pass was picked off by Delbert Tyler. Tyler returned the interception 10 yards for a score and a 21-0 Pirate lead with 5:00 left in the half.

The Spartans returned the favor late in the third. NSU free safety Darrin Marrow intercepted a pass by Champion and returned it to the Hampton 21 just before the end of the quarter. On the second play of the fourth, Takeem Hedgeman scored on a 1-yard TD run to get NSU within 21-7.

Basmagian's third interception of the day came on a deflected pass over the middle, which Hampton linebacker Lyndell Gibson returned 49 yards to the Spartan 17. Schwartz carried on the next three plays, scoring on a 2-yard run to give Hampton a 28-7 lead and all but put the game away.

The Spartans fought to the end, cutting their deficit to 28-14 on a 10-yard TD pass from Basmagian to Xavier Boyce with 7:06 remaining in the game. NSU had a chance to make it even closer in the final two minutes, driving to the Pirates' 9-yard line, but Aaron Matthews picked off another Basmagian throw at the goal line to clinch it.

NSU outgained Hampton 251 yards to 214. Basmagian completed 25-of-39 passes for 197 yards with one TD and four interceptions. He also ran six times for a team-high 31 yards. Boyce had seven catches for a game-high 94 yards for the Spartans.

Schwartz carried 29 times for 116 yards and two scores for the Pirates. Their two quarterbacks, Champion and Najee Tyler, combined to complete just 13 of their 26 throws for 109 yards with one score and one interception.

The Spartans continued their three-game road swing with a 4 p.m. game at Bethune-Cookman next Saturday in Daytona Beach, Fla.