Game Notes
HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will welcome the Eagles of Coppin State University to the HU Convocation Center on Saturday at 6 p.m. to open the bulk of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play.
By beating Fordham 78-54 on Sunday, the Pirates (3-10, 0-1 MEAC) snapped a five-game losing streak and picked up its first home win of the season. Senior forward Mike Freeman scored a season-high 18 points and pulled down 10 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Coppin State lost its fourth straight game on Tuesday, falling 79-61 at Oklahoma State despite 21 points from sophomore Michael Harper.
Coppin State leads the all-time series against Hampton 13-12 after sweeping both of last season's meetings. After the Eagles beat the Pirates 61-60 in Baltimore on Jan. 24, 2009, Coppin State took a 67-43 win out of the HU Convocation Center on Feb. 21, 2009. In all, Coppin State (5-7, 0-1 MEAC) has won four straight meetings in this series; Hampton last won during the 2007-08 season, when the Pirates pulled out a 58-54 home win. The two teams first met in 1996-97, when the Eagles left Hampton with a 76-69 win. Coppin State won the first seven meetings in the series, before Hampton rolled off nine straight wins.
The Pirates are 1-2 at the HU Convocation Center so far this season, picking up their first home win on Sunday against Fordham, 78-54. Saturday's game against Coppin State will be Hampton's first home conference game of the season.
Despite finishing with a 13-19 record last season, the Eagles finished in a tie fr third in the MEAC with a 9-7 mark, before falling in the conference semifinals 75-67 to Morgan State. Tywain McKee was named MEAC Player of the Year. Coppin State was picked to finish seventh in the MEAC this year after losing three starters from last year's squad, and junior center Sam Coleman was named to the All-MEAC Preseason First Team, while sophomore guard/forward Michael Harper was named Preseason Second Team All-MEAC.
Harper leads the Eagles in scoring so far this season, averaging 14.0 points per game, despite leading the team in scoring just once this season – Tuesday night at Oklahoma State, where he dropped 21. Sophomore guard Lenny Young is second in scoring with an average of 12.6 points per game, while junior guard Kareem Brown is pouring in 10.0 points a night. Sophomore forward Branden Doughty leads Coppin State in rebounding, pulling down 5.8 boards per game.
Coppin State is averaging 62.0 points per game as a team on offense, while giving up 70.3 points per game on defense. The Eagles are also being out-rebounded by an average of 38.9-34.8 per night.
Live stats for Saturday's game between Hampton and Coppin State will be available through the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com. Pirates basketball games can also be heard live on the radio at WHOV 88.1 FM, with Shamar Woods and Matt White calling all the action.
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.
