Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will look to return to its winning ways at home on Saturday, as the Pirates square off against rival Norfolk State at the HU Convocation Center at 6 p.m.

The Pirates (6-12, 2-3 MEAC), in their third season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., lost their third straight game on Monday, falling 68-56 at Morgan State despite a career-high 36 points from senior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.). Pellum and senior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.) each pulled down a team-high seven rebounds, and Agbelese added nine points and four blocks.

The Spartans (14-5, 6-0 MEAC) won their seventh straight game on Monday, beating Coppin State 74-66 on the road. Sophomore guard Pendarvis Williams led Norfolk State with 25 points, while senior center Kyle O'Quinn, the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, added 24 points and 19 rebounds.

The Spartans went 12-20 overall last season, finishing sixth in the MEAC with a mark of 8-8 before Hampton ousted them in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament. Norfolk State, under fifth-year head coach Anthony Evans, return two starters are 11 letterwinners from last season, and was picked to finish fourth in the MEAC this year.

O'Quinn leads the team in scoring (15.5 ppg) and rebounding (10.4 rpg), while Williams is averaging 12.7 points per contest and senior guard/forward Chris McEachin is pouring in 12.6 points a night.

The Spartans are scoring 67.9 points a game, while giving up 66.0 points a contest.

Since moving up to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates are 19-14 against Norfolk State, having won the last four meetings between the two teams – including all three of last season's match-ups (culminating in an 85-61 win in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament). Norfolk State last beat Hampton on Feb. 13, 2010, escaping the HU Convocation Center with a 70-66 win.

In all, Hampton has won nine of the last 14 meetings, and the Pirates are 9-5 against Norfolk State in the HU Convocation Center.

Hampton is 193-112 all-time as a Div. I program (since 1995) against teams currently in the MEAC, including an 11-5 mark in the conference last season. North Carolina Central, in its first year in the MEAC, is the only team currently in the conference that the Pirates have not faced since moving to Div. I.

The Pirates are 17-9 against Bethune-Cookman; 14-14 against Coppin State; 17-13 against Delaware State, 17-11 against Florida A&M; 29-5 against Howard; 20-6 against Maryland Eastern Shore; 20-11 against Morgan State; 19-14 against Norfolk State; 21-10 against North Carolina A&T; 2-1 against Savannah State and 17-17 against South Carolina State.

Since joining the MEAC in 1995, the Pirates have won two regular-season conference titles (2000-01, 2001-02) and four MEAC Tournament crowns (2001, 2002, 2006, 2011).

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 of 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 17-10 at home, and the Pirates are 3-1 at home so far this season – beating William & Mary, High Point and Howard, before losing to Savannah State on Dec. 1. Hampton is 1-1 at home in MEAC play this season.

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.