Game Notes

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will hit the road for a conference tilt on Saturday, taking on rival Howard at 4 p.m. in Burr Gymnasium.

The Pirates (3-10, 1-0 MEAC), in their fourth season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., beat James Madison 69-65 at the HU Convocation Center on Monday, thanks to 19 points from freshman guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) and 12 points from junior guard Ramon Mercado (Hollywood, Fla.).

The Bison (4-12, 1-1 MEAC) snapped a four-game losing streak with a 70-60 win at Coppin State on Saturday, Jan. 5, thanks to 15 points and seven rebounds from senior forward Mike Phillips, as well as 13 points each from sophomore guards Prince Okoroh and Simuel Frazier.

The Bison were 10-21 overall last season, finishing tied for eighth in the MEAC with a conference mark of 6-10. Howard was picked to finish eighth in the MEAC this season, the team's third under head coach Kevin Nickelberry.

Phillips is leading the Bison in both scoring and rebounding, pouring in a team-high 12.8 points a contest to go along with 6.7 rebounds per game, while redshirt-senior guard Calvin Thompson is averaging 12.1 points per game.

The Bison are averaging just 54.4 points a game on offense, while giving up 64.2 points a night.

Since moving up to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates are 30-5 against Howard. Hampton has won the last six meetings between the two teams – including a 58-50 win at the HU Convocation Center on Dec. 1. Overall, the Pirates have won 18 of the last 20 meetings against the Bison, and Howard's last win over Hampton came in the 2009 Big Apple Classic, 56-54.

Howard has not won back-to-back games against the Pirates in program Div. I history.

Hampton is 200-119 all-time as a Div. I program (since 1995) against teams currently in the MEAC, including a 6-10 mark in the conference last season. The Pirates have faced every team currently in the MEAC at least once, including newcomers North Carolina Central and Savannah 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 1-13 on the road last season, with that lone win coming at Florida A&M, 74-59, on Feb. 25. For his career, head coach Ed Joyner is 15-33 on the road after Hampton's season-opening loss at William & Mary, a 68-58 loss at Richmond, a 75-67 loss at Ohio, a 61-60 loss at UNC Wilmington, a 73-64 loss at Radford, a 50-43 loss at Winthrop, and a 68-49 loss at USC Upstate.

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.