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Pirates Host Monmouth In Final Home Game of 2023-24 Campaign

HAMPTON, Va. (Feb. 28, 2024) … Hampton University men's basketball team returns home to the Convocation Center one final time for the 2023-24 season. The Pirates will take on the Monmouth Hawks at 7:00 p.m. this Thursday. HU will be honoring seniors Tedrick Wilcox Jr. and Joshua Lusane. Along with senior day, Thursday night's contest will also raise awareness for Autism Speaks. The Autism Speaks Coaches Powering Forward Week is an annual effort to bring the NCAA community together in support of Autism Speaks mission. Since starting the movement nine years ago, over 5,000 Autism Speaks puzzle piece pins have been provided to coaches, their staff, and broadcasters to help raise awareness through athletic events. 

A Look at Your Pirates

Hampton is coming off a 70-62 loss to Northeastern. The Pirates trailed by 26 points late in the second half. With HU hitting shots and continuing to play solid defense, Coach Edward Joyner Jr.'s squad made it a six-point game. However, with only 30 seconds remaining in the contest, the Pirates would run out of time to complete the comeback. At the 8:39 mark, junior guard Jordan Nesbitt scored his 1,000th career point.

Since the beginning of February, the Pirates have been able to knock off three opponents. Two of Hampton's wins have come in conference play defeating Towson and Campbell. HU now sits one game behind William & Mary in the CAA standings. Throughout the entire season, the Pirates have defended the three well. Coach Joyner Jr.'s squad on average is holding opponents to 31.7 percent shooting from beyond the arc. In Hampton's last time out, the Huskies to 22.2 percent from three. 

Hampton by the Numbers
  • 2: For the first time in his career, Ja'Von Benson produced back-to-back double-doubles
  • 18: Benson also had a career-high in points against Northeastern
  • 34: Ja'Von has climbed up the CAA rankings for blocks and currently ranks fifth in the conference
  • 33: Jordan Nesbitt becomes the 33rd Pirate in Hampton's history to score 1,000 or more points
  • 13.5: Since the beginning of February Jerry Deng has seen a 3.7 increase in his points per game average

A Look at the Hawks 

Monmouth enters the contest with a 16-13 overall record and is 9-7 in the CAA. This season the Hawks have won an impressive 13 straight home games at the OceanFirst Bank Center. However, MU has struggled on the road only winning one road contest. In the opening week of the season, the Hawks were able to defeat West Virginia 73-65 in Morgantown. With Xander Rice's 30-point performance, he was named the conference's Player of the Week. 

MU is coached by King Rice who is closing out his 13th season with the program. The Hawks have had three 20-win seasons under his leadership. Throughout the 2023-24 campaign, Monmouth's defense has led them to easy offense. Coach Rice's squad sits first in the CAA for steals per game with 7.3. With the Hawks producing a league-high in steals, they also led the league in turnovers forced per contest (12.3).

Monmouth by the Numbers 
  • 599: Xander Rice has socred the eight most points in the country this season
  • 20.7: Rice is also one of 32 players in the nation to average 20 or more points per game
  • 223: Nikita Knstantynovskyi sits fourth in the conference for rebounds
  • 114: Jakari Spence has been one of the league's top distributors accounting for the fourth most assists in the CAA
  • -2.5: While the Hawks have one of the conference's top rebounders, MU sits 13th in the league for rebounding margin 
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Players Mentioned

Tedrick Wilcox Jr.

#0 Tedrick Wilcox Jr.

G
6' 6"
Graduate Student
Joshua Lusane

#4 Joshua Lusane

F
6' 7"
Graduate Student
Jordan Nesbitt

#8 Jordan Nesbitt

G
6' 6"
Junior
Jerry Deng

#15 Jerry Deng

F
6' 9"
Freshman
Ja

#21 Ja'Von Benson

F
6' 8"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Tedrick Wilcox Jr.

#0 Tedrick Wilcox Jr.

6' 6"
Graduate Student
G
Joshua Lusane

#4 Joshua Lusane

6' 7"
Graduate Student
F
Jordan Nesbitt

#8 Jordan Nesbitt

6' 6"
Junior
G
Jerry Deng

#15 Jerry Deng

6' 9"
Freshman
F
Ja

#21 Ja'Von Benson

6' 8"
Junior
F