Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will close out the regular season on Thursday by taking on the rival Spartans of Norfolk State, with tip-off coming at 7:30 p.m. in the HU Convocation Center.
 
Live Video: Click here.
Radio: WHOV 88.1 FM.
Live Stats: Click here.
 
Last Time Out: The Pirates (12-16, 8-7 MEAC) fell 85-75 to Delaware State on Monday night in their regular-season road finale, despite having four Pirates reach double figures. Redshirt junior guard/forward Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) led the way with 21 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) and junior forward Jervon Pressley (Charlotte, N.C.) each added 15 points. Junior guard Brian Darden (Hampton, Va.) chipped in 11 points.
 
The Senior: Senior forward Emmanuel Okoroba (Garland, Texas) will be honored.
 
The Series: Since moving to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates are 21-19 against Norfolk State after sweeping both of last season's meetings – even though the Spartans won the first meeting this season, 63-60 on Jan. 31 in Echols Hall. Overall, the Spartans have won five of the last seven meetings. Hampton is 10-7 against Norfolk State at home since 1995.
 
The Opponent: Norfolk State (18-12, 11-4 MEAC), in its second season under head coach Robert Jones, has lost three of its last five games after Monday's 61-59 overtime loss at Howard. Redshirt junior guard Jeff Short leads three Spartans in double figures, averaging 19.1 points per game to rank second in the MEAC, while junior forward RaShid Gaston is averaging 15.4 points and a team-high 9.8 rebounds per contest. Junior guard D'Shon Taylor is averaging 13.0 points a game.
 
Pirates Against the MEAC: Hampton is 230-137 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 went 13-3 in the MEAC last season, finishing second in the final regular-season standings. 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).
 
Pirates at Home: During Edward Joyner Jr.'s career as a head coach, Hampton is 42-29 overall in the Convocation Center, and the Pirates were 9-3 at home last season. Overall, the Pirates have won 10 of their last 14 home games following a 74-71 loss to Delaware State on Feb. 21.
 
Pirates Taking on the Big Boys: The Pirates' game at Illinois on Dec. 17 was the third of three contests this season for the Pirates against teams from the so-called "power conferences." After facing the Hawkeyes on Nov. 14, the Pirates took on ACC foe Syracuse.
 
Pirates Picked to Finish Second: The Pirates, coming off of last season's runner-up finish, were picked to finish second in the MEAC this season, picking up nine first-place votes in the preseason poll voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. Defending MEAC champion North Carolina Central was picked to repeat as conference champions.
 
Powers, Darden Earn Preseason MEAC Honors: Powers was named Preseason First Team All-MEAC by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, while Darden was a Preseason Third Team All-MEAC selection. Powers was third in the MEAC in free throw percentage, fourth in assists and fifth in assist-turnover ratio last season, while Darden was ninth in the conference in 3-pointers made, averaging 2.0 per contest.
 
Joyner Closing in on 100: Following this past Monday's game at Delaware State, Joyner has 94 career wins as a head coach, leaving him six shy of 100. Only two coaches in Hampton history have won at least 100 games with the school: Malcolm Avery (140 wins, 1987-95) and Hank Ford (228 wins, 1975-87). Joyner now holds the all-time program Div. I wins record; Steve Merfeld (1997-2002) won 90 games with the Pirates.
 
Powers Closing in on a Milestone: Powers is sitting on 993 career points after dropping 15 points this past Monday at Delaware State, leaving him just seven points shy of the 1,000-point mark for his career. Powers, the 2012-13 MEAC Rookie of the Year, would be the 27th Pirate to ever reach that mark – and the first since Darrion Pellum reached the mark in the 2011-12 season. Powers scored 366 points last season, ranking second on the team with 11.8 points per game, and he ended the 2013-14 season by scoring in double figures in six of his last seven games – including three straight 20-point efforts from Feb. 24-March 6.
 
Darden Looking for More: Darden was third on the team in scoring last season, averaging 10.4 points per game, and he ended the season on a high note with a career-high 22 points at Penn State in the first round of the CBI. He averaged 2.0 made 3-pointers per game in 2013-14, ranking ninth in the MEAC. Darden, who shot 32.6 percent (63-for-193) from 3-point range last season, was named Preseason Third Team All-MEAC, and he comes into this season as the Pirates' best option from long distance. He had 10 points in the Pirates' opener at Iowa, before pouring in 18 points in the Pirates' win over Alcorn State. He fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.4 points per game after dropping a career-high 23 points at Morgan State on Feb. 16.
 
Meikle Getting His Chance: Meikle shot just over 48 percent from the floor last season, en route to averaging 5.8 points per game. The redshirt junior scored in double figures seven times in 2013-14, tying his then-career high with 16 points against Winthrop on Dec. 29, 2013. He also showed flashes on defense, blocking 13 shots on the season – including a career-high six at Virginia back on Nov. 26, 2013. He led three Pirates in double figures at Iowa with 14 points, and he has scored in double figures 16 times so far this season. His 12.8 points per game lead the team after a 21-point effort on Monday at Delaware State, and Meikle is also averaging a team-best 7.5 rebounds a game, ranking fifth in the MEAC, after grabbing 10 at Howard.

Pressley Crashing the Glass: Pressley was second on the team in rebounds last season, despite playing in just 21 games. He averaged 5.1 boards per contest in 2013-14, grabbing a career-high 12 boards at Maryland Eastern Shore on Feb. 24 – while also scoring 12 points for his lone double-double of the season. Pressley also scored in double figures four times last season, including a career-high 16 points at Coppin State on Feb. 1. Pressley grabbed at least one rebound in 20 of the 21 games in which he played last season. Pressley grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds on Dec. 8 against Morgan State, and his 5.0 rebounds per game are third on the team.
 
New Faces, Plenty of Experience: Two Hampton newcomers already have Div. I experience: guard Quinton Chievous (Chicago, Ill.)has seen significant playing time with Tennessee, and junior guard R eginald Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) comes to the Pirates after time at Miami (Ohio). Chievous was a career 45.3-percent shooter (24-for-53) with the Volunteers, while Johnson averaged 8.4 points per game as a freshman at Miami (Ohio). In all, five players on this year's roster transferred to Hampton from other Div. I programs: Chievous, Johnson, Breon Key (Old Dominion), Darden (Radford), and Pressley (Towson). Chievous scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in his Hampton debut at Iowa, before dropping a team-high 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting on Nov. 16 at Syracuse. He has scored in double figures in 18 of the Pirates' first 27 games; Chievous is second on the team in rebounding (6.5 per game) and third in scoring (10.8 per game). Johnson dropped a career-high 27 points at NJIT on Feb. 2, before scoring 21 against UMES on Feb. 7 for back-to-back 20-point games. Johnson, who is averaging 11.0 points per game, has scored in double figures in five of his last seven games.
 
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.