Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will return home on Saturday for its final two regular-season games, beginning with a tilt against rival Norfolk State at 6 p.m. in the HU Convocation Center.
 
The Pirates (16-11, 11-3 MEAC) have won five in a row and eight of their last nine after Monday's 104-89 win at Maryland Eastern Shore. Sophomore guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) led five Pirates in double figures with 20 points, while senior forward Du'Vaughn Maxwell (Manhattan, N.Y.) added 16 points and 10 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season.
 
Sophomore guard Brian Darden (Hampton, Va.) added 14 points, while sophomore forward Jervon Pressley (Charlotte, N.C.) and sophomore guard Breon Key (Hampton, Va.) each scored 12 points. Pressley also had a team-high 12 rebounds.
 
Hampton is currently second in the MEAC, angling for a first-round bye in the MEAC Tournament on March 10-15.
 
The Spartans (16-11, 10-3 MEAC) have won back-to-back games after defeating Howard 66-60 on the road Monday night. Norfolk State, the defending MEAC regular-season champion, was picked to repeat this season – its first under interim head coach Robert Jones – and senior guard Pendarvis Williams was named MEAC Preseason Player of the Year.
 
Redshirt-senior guard Malcolm Hawkins is the team's top scorer, averaging 16.0 points per game, while Williams is second on the team with 15.7 points per contest. Senior center Brandon Goode is averaging 11.4 points per game, to go along with a team-best 7.1 rebounds per contest.
 
Hampton is 20-18 against Norfolk State since moving up to Div. I in 1995, though the Spartans have won four of the last five meetings – despite the Pirates beating Norfolk State 79-73 in overtime earlier this season in Echols Hall. Prior to that, the Pirates last beat Norfolk State in 2010-11, when Hampton won all three meetings en route to the MEAC Tournament championship.
 
Hampton is 9-7 against Norfolk State at home.
 
Hampton is 219-129 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. The Pirates are 11-3 in the MEAC this season after beating Maryland Eastern Shore on Monday.
 
During Edward Joyner Jr.'s career as a head coach, Hampton is 34-25 overall in the Convocation Center, and the Pirates won their home debut on Nov. 9, defeating William & Mary 77-69, before falling 90-79 to Delaware on Nov. 17. The Pirates won their first conference home game of the season on Dec. 7, beating Florida A&M 72-62, before beating Bethune-Cookman 85-52 on Dec. 9.
 
Hampton also won home games on Dec. 29 and Jan. 4, a double-overtime 101-95 victory over Winthrop and an 87-60 win over Radford, before falling 71-68 to Coppin State on Jan. 18, falling 80-71 to Morgan State on Jan. 20, beating rival Howard 63-47 on Feb. 8, and coming back to beat UMES 71-65 on Feb. 10.
 
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.