Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will return to the HU Convocation Center on Monday for a nationally-televised match-up against Morgan State; the game will tip at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.
 
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Last Time Out: The Pirates (14-9, 9-2 MEAC) defeated rival Howard 68-65 in Washington, D.C. this past Monday, thanks to a late 3-pointer from Lawrence Cooks. Reginald Johnson, Jr. led the Pirates with 22 points, going 8-for-21 from the floor and grabbing nine rebounds. Quinton Chievous (15 points, a team-high 17 boards) recorded his eighth double-double of the season, while Dionte Adams also had a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Adams also blocked three shots.
 
The Series: Hampton is 27-14 against Morgan State after winning all three meetings between the two teams last season – including a 91-71 win in the first round of the MEAC Tournament. The Pirates have won eight of the last 12 meetings between the two teams, despite Morgan State sweeping the season series in 2013-14, after an 83-80 overtime win in Baltimore, Md. earlier this season.
 
Pirates Against the MEAC: Hampton is 243-140 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 8-8 in the MEAC last season, winding up sixth in the standings before winning four games in six days to take the MEAC Tournament championship. So far this season, Hampton is 9-2 in conference play. Since joining the MEAC in 1995, the Pirates have won two regular-season conference titles (2000-01, 2001-02) and five MEAC Tournament crowns (2001, 2002, 2006, 2011, 2015).
 
Pirates at Home: The Pirates were 6-5 at home last season, and in their first six-plus seasons under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., the Pirates are 48-32 in home games after a 69-67 win over Washington Adventist on Feb. 2. Hampton's best season at home under Joyner came in 2013-14, when the Pirates went 9-3 at the Convocation Center. Each of the Pirates' next four games will be at home.
 
Scouting the Bears: Morgan State (5-18, 3-7 MEAC), in its 11th season under head coach Todd Bozeman, has lost three straight games after a 79-73 loss at Norfolk State on Saturday. Senior forward Cedric Blossom leads the team in both scoring (15.3 ppg) and rebounding (7.2 rpg), while senior guard Rasean Simpson is averaging 11.1 points and 6.2 boards per contest. Sophomore forward Phillip Carr is averaging 10.4 points and 7.1 rebounds per game.
 
Pirates Picked to Finish Second: The Pirates, coming off of last season's MEAC Tournament championship, 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. The Eagles won the MEAC regular season title in 2014-15, while Hampton wound up sixth in the standings with an 8-8 mark in league play.
 
Joyner Reached 100: Entering his seventh season at the helm, Joyner was one win shy of 100 for his career. But when the Pirates defeated American on Nov. 17, he picked up the 100th win of his career as a head coach. The Pirates won 17 games under Joyner last season, and in his six-plus seasons in charge, Hampton has made three postseason appearances – including two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2015. At 113-105, Joyner is already Hampton's all-time winningest Div. I coach, having surpasses Steve Merfield last season.
 
Plenty of Familiar Faces: The Pirates come into 2015-16 off of their fifth-ever MEAC Tournament championship, and many of the players who helped Hampton make that run last season are back for more. There are 10 returners in total for the Pirates this season, led by Preseason All-MEAC honorees Chievous (First Team), Darden (Second Team), and Jervon Pressley (Third Team) – as well as Dwight Meikle, who led the Pirates in both scoring and rebounding in 2014-15. Johnson, who was named to the MEAC's All-Tournament Team last season, also returns, as does Charles Wilson-Fisher – who contributed big minutes during the MEAC Tournament.
 
A Triple Threat: Prior to the game at North Carolina Central on Jan. 18, Hampton was one of just four Div. I programs in which three players are averaging at least 15 points per contest, joining St. Bonaventure, Eastern Washington, and Arkansas. Darden is now below that threshold, averaging 13.5 points per contest, while Johnson is averaging 18.7 points per game and Chievous is pouring in 16.9 points per contest. Altogether, the trio accounts for 46.1 points per contest.
 
Chievous Making His Presence Felt: Chievous, the Tennessee transfer, made his presence felt for the Pirates last season, especially once the MEAC Tournament started. Chievous had three double-doubles in the last four games of the year, including both NCAA Tournament games. Before that, though, he turned in a bull-in-a-china-shop-esque 23-point, 12-rebound effort in the MEAC Tournament semifinals against Norfolk State. Chievous, who was second in rebounding and third in scoring on the team in 2014-15, was named Preseason First Team All-MEAC heading into the 2015-16 campaign. He opened the 2015-16 season in style on Nov. 14, dropping a career-high 29 points and grabbing a career-best 23 rebounds at Winthrop. Dating back to last season, Chievous has 11 double-doubles in his last 23 games, and he had 26 points and 16 rebounds against Savannah State. Chievous leads the team in rebounding (a MEAC-best 10.7 per game) and is second on the team in scoring at 16.9 points a contest (which ranks fourth in the MEAC).
 
Johnson Lit it Up: Johnson Jr., a transfer from Miami (Ohio), was second on the team in scoring last season – despite not playing his first game until Dec. 17 at Illinois. He averaged almost 12 points a game last season, scoring in double figures 14 times in 26 games. His career high of 27 points came at NJIT last season, and Johnson added 21 points in the next game against UMES. Johnson dropped 20 points in the MEAC Tournament championship game against Delaware State, earning MEAC All-Tournament Team honors, and also had 15 points in Hampton's win over Manhattan in the NCAA Tournament's First Four. He poured in 19 points in Hampton's 61-48 win at American, and he dropped a career-high 35 points in a double-overtime win at Northern Arizona. Johnson leads the team and ranks second in the MEAC in scoring (18.7 ppg) after pouring in 22 points at Howard this past Monday. Johnson has scored in double figures in 19 of his last 22 games.
 
Darden Looking for More: Darden was fifth on the team in scoring last season, just shy of averaging 10 points a contest (9.8). On top of being second in the MEAC in free throw percentage (.845), Darden was ninth in the conference in 3-pointers per game. The MEAC Tournament's top 3-point shooter had a career-high 23 points at Morgan State back on Feb. 16, going 6-for-7 from behind the arc, and he had 20 points in the championship game of the MEAC Tournament against Delaware State. Darden comes into 2015-16 as a Preseason Second Team All-MEAC selection, and he had 13 points at Winthrop, and he scored 22 at Northern Arizona. Darden is third on the team in scoring, averaging 13.5 points per game, and he is 26 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
 
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.