Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will look for its third straight win on Monday, when the Pirates face off against the Bears of Morgan State at 7 p.m. at the HU Convocation Center. The game will be televised live on ESPNU.

After beating Coppin State 69-67 on Saturday night for their first conference win of the season, the Pirates have won two straight games. Senior Michael Freeman (Alexandria, Va.) recorded his sixth double-double of the season, with 15 points and 10 rebounds as four Pirates scored in double figures. Morgan State snapped a two-game skid with a 90-58 win at Howard on Saturday.

The Pirates are 19-7 all-time against Morgan State after sweeping last year's contests. Hampton beat Morgan State 62-57 in Baltimore on Jan. 26, 2009, before beating the Bears at the HU Convocation Center on Feb. 23, 2009, taking a 49-47 win on ESPNU. The Pirates have won three of the last five meetings between the two teams, and Hampton won the first three games in the series. Between 1999 and 2003, Hampton won nine straight against the Bears, before adding four more in a row from 2005 through 2006. Morgan State has never won more than three straight against the Pirates.

The Bears went 23-12 last season, winning the MEAC regular-season crown with a 13-3 mark before winning the conference tournament. Morgan State went on to the NCAA Tournament, where the Bears fell 82-54 to Oklahoma in the first round. Todd Bozeman was named MEAC Coach of the Year, and guard Reggie Holmes earned First Team All-MEAC honors. Marquise Kately was named Second Team All-MEAC.

The Bears were picked to win the MEAC again this season, earning 20 first-place votes. Holmes was named to the All-MEAC Preseason First Team, while sophomore forward Kevin Thompson was named Preseason Second Team All-MEAC.

Holmes is averaging a team- and MEAC-high 23.6 points per game, while Thompson is averaging a double-double, pouring in 13.8 points per night to go along with a team- and MEAC-high 12.5 rebounds per contest. Holmes has led the Bears in scoring in 13 of their 16 games so far this season, while Thompson has pulled down the team high in rebounds in 14 of 16 contests.

The Bears are averaging a MEAC-high 77.5 points per night as a team on offense, while the defense is giving up 75.9 points per game. Morgan State is out-rebounding its opponents by an average of 40.9-37.3 per contest.

Since joining the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 1995, the Pirates are a combined 167-95 against MEAC schools. Coppin State and South Carolina State are the only MEAC schools against which Hampton does not have a winning record; the Pirates are 16-16 all-time against SCSU, while Coppin State and Hampton are tied 13-13 after Hampton's 69-67 win on Saturday. The Pirates are also 15-7 against Bethune-Cookman; 14-12 against Delaware State; 15-9 against Florida A&M; 24-5 against Howard; 17-6 against Maryland-Eastern Shore; 19-7 against Morgan State; 15-12 against Norfolk State; and 19-8 against North Carolina A&T. The Pirates have Hampton has won two MEAC regular-season titles (2001, 2002), to go along with three MEAC Tournament crowns (2001, 2002, 2006).

The Pirates are 2-2 at the HU Convocation Center so far this season, picking up their first home win against Fordham, 78-54. The Pirates followed that on Saturday by beating Coppin State 69-67 for their first MEAC home win of the season.

Live stats for Monday's game between Hampton and Morgan State will be available through the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com. Pirates basketball games can be heard live on the radio at WHOV 88.1 FM, with Shamar Woods and Matt White calling all the action.

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.