Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will open the 2011-12 season at home on Saturday, as the defending MEAC champion Pirates take on William & Mary at 7 p.m. at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates (24-9, 11-5 MEAC in 2010-11), in their third season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., closed out last season by winning five of their last six games, capturing the MEAC Tournament title with a 60-55 win over Morgan State and advancing to the second round of the NCAA Tournament – where the Pirates fell to No. 1 seed Duke 87-45.

William & Mary (0-1) opened the 2011-12 season on Monday with a 74-59 loss at St. John's – despite leading by seven at the half. The Tribe, under the direction of ninth-year head coach Tony Shaver, finished 11th in the Colonial Athletic Association last season.

The Pirates were picked to finish second in the MEAC this season, behind Morgan State. On top of that, top returning scorer Darrion Pellum, a senior guard, was named Preseason First Team All-MEAC.

Pellum (Hampton, Va.) was second in the MEAC in scoring last season, pouring in 17.5 points per game as he scored in double figures 29 times in the 32 games he played. He was a First-Team All-MEAC selection last season, and he was also named the MEAC Tournament's Most Outstanding Player after averaging 17.7 points and 5.3 rebounds in three games.

Pellum also became the 26th player in program history to reach the 1,000-point mark when he scored eight points against Duke on March 18. For his career at Hampton, Pellum has scored 1,004 points.

The Tribe went 10-22 overall last season, while finishing 11th in the CAA with a mark of 4-14. William & Mary did win its opening-round game in the CAA Tournament, a 72-68 decision over James Madison, before falling 72-56 to Hofstra in the quarterfinals.

William & Mary returns its two top scorers from last season; senior guard Quinn McDowell, a Preseason First Team All-CAA selection, averaged a team-high 15.5 points per game last season, while sophomore guard brandon Britt was second on the team with 10.9 points per game. The Tribe loses its top rebounder from a year ago, Marcus Kitts (who averaged 5.8 per game), but McDowell was second on the team last season with 5.4 rebounds a night.

The Tribe averaged 64.1 points a game on offense last season, while giving up 67.9 points a game on defense.

The Pirates went 8-3 at the HU Convocation Center last season, despite losing their last two home games of the season. Starting with a 78-67 win over Towson on Dec. 20 last season, the Pirates won seven straight home games – including five in a row against MEAC competition. For his career as a head coach, Joyner is 14-9 at home.

The Pirates are 5-9 all-time against William & Mary, and the Tribe has won four of the last five meetings – including a 62-61 nail-biter at Kaplan Arena on Nov. 25, 2009. Hampton last defeated the Tribe on Dec. 29, 2007, winning 70-63 at the HU Convocation Center. The two teams first met on Dec. 20, 1995, with the Pirates escaping Kaplan Arena with an 84-76 win. William & Mary then won four straight in the series, before Hampton won back-to-back games in 2000 and 2001.

Hampton is 2-4 all-time against William & Mary at home.

Hampton is 13-31 all-time against teams currently in the CAA – including 2-1 mark last season, in which the Pirates defeated Georgia State (60-56 in overtime) and Towson (78-67), while losing to Delaware 55-53. Hampton is 1-3 against Delaware; 2-0 against Georgia State; 1-4 against George Mason; 0-2 against James Madison; 2-4 against Old Dominion; 1-2 against Towson; 1-7 against Virginia Commonwealth; and 5-9 against William & Mary.

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.