WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Hampton University women's basketball team will open the 2009-10 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) slate on Saturday, taking on the Bison of Howard University at burr Gymnasium at 6 p.m.

The Lady Pirates (2-3) have lost three straight games after opening the season with back-to-back wins over William & Mary and UNC-Wilmington. Hampton lost its first road game of the season at Richmond on Nov. 24, before dropping both games of the Southern Methodist University Hoops For The Cure Tournament in Dallas, Texas over the Thanksgiving holiday. The Lady Pirates fell 84-71 to SMU on Friday, before losing 66-54 to Fresno State on Saturday. Howard (2-4) has won two of its last three games, including a 44-39 decision at Radford on Sunday.

After falling 64-46 to Richmond on Nov. 24 and 84-71 at Southern Methodist on Friday, the Lady Pirates are 0-2 on the road so far this season. The Lady Pirates went 6-10 on the road in 2008-09, including a 3-5 road mark in conference play. Hampton won three of its last five road games last season, including wins over South Carolina State, Winston-Salem State and Norfolk State. Hampton will look for its first road win of the season, but the Lady Pirates are 6-10 all-time at Howard.

Howard leads the all-time series with the Lady Pirates, as the two teams split their contests last season. Hampton defeated the Bison 64-52 at the Convocation Center for its first win of the 2008-09 season, while Howard retaliated on March 5, taking the regular-season finale in Washington, D.C. 69-49.

Howard won the first-ever meeting between these two teams, taking a 50-37 decision on Jan. 12, 1976; Hampton then won the next meeting 83-56 in 1982. Howard won nine straight in the series from 1995 through 1998, before the Lady Pirates swept the two meetings in 1999. Hampton won eight straight games against Howard from 2002 to 2006, and the Lady Pirates have taken 12 of the last 14 meetings.

Hampton is 6-10 all-time on the road against Howard.

The Bison went 9-22 last season under new head coach Niki Reid Geckeler, finishing eighth in the MEAC with a 7-9 record and falling in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Championships to eventual league champion North Carolina A&T 82-50. Junior guard Zykia Brown earned Second Team All-MEAC honors after leading the Bison with 17.8 points a game – pacing Howard in scoring in 23 games.

Brown, who was also a Preseason Second Team All-MEAC selection, has led her team in scoring in five out of six games so far this season, averaging 16.3 points a contest. Redshirt-freshman forward Saadia Doyle is averaging 14.0 points a game, while also leading the team with 11.5 rebounds a contest. Doyle has led Howard in rebounding in all six games so far this season, including a season-high 13 against Long Island.

A live statistical broadcast of Saturday's game will be available through Howard's official athletics website at www.howard-bison.com by clicking on the women's basketball page and following the link on the team's 2009-10 schedule.

For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5811, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.