Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will continue Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) play on Saturday, welcoming the Spartans of Norfolk State to the HU Convocation Center for a 6 p.m. match-up.

Hampton will be looking for its second straight win after beating Winston-Salem State at the C.E. Gaines Center on Monday 55-53 behind Vincent Simpson's 3-pointer with 13 seconds remaining. Simpson (Philadelphia, Pa.) and Charles Funches (Bayonne, N.J.) led the Pirates with 12 points each. Norfolk State fell 54-52 to Delaware State on Monday to snap its two-game winning streak.

Since joining the MEAC in 1995, the Pirates are 15-13 against the Spartans – even though Norfolk State swept both of last season's meetings and the first meeting this season – 66-50 at Echols Hall on Jan. 16. Norfolk State beat Hampton 68-62 at the HU Convocation Center on Jan. 31, 2009, before winning 90-68 at Echols Hall on Feb. 28, 2009. Hampton won the first three meetings with Norfolk State upon reaching Division I, including a season sweep in 1997-98, and from 2001-03, Hampton won four straight meetings. Prior to last season, Hampton had won three straight against the Spartans, and four of the last five. The Spartans have won three straight against the Pirates.

The Spartans went 13-18 last season, finishing in a tie for third in the MEAC at 9-7 before falling 83-69 to Morgan State in the MEAC title game. Senior guard Michael Deloach was named First Team All-MEAC last season after leading the conference in scoring at 21.5 points a contest, and came into this year as the MEAC Preseason Player of the Year, while the Spartans were picked to finish third in the league after returning three starters from last year's squad.

Deloach leads the team and sits second in the MEAC in scoring with an average of 21.4 points per game; he's led the Spartans in scoring in 17 of their 22 games this season. Rob Hampton is averaging 11.8 points per game, while Kyle O'Quinn is adding 11.4 points per game to go along with his team-high 8.5 rebounds per game – which is good enough for second in the MEAC.

Norfolk State is third in the MEAC in scoring offense, averaging 70.4 points per game as a team. However, the Spartans are last in the conference in scoring defensive, giving up 80.6 points per night. The Spartans are out-rebounded by an average of 38.2-36.9 per contest.

The Pirates are 3-4 at the HU Convocation Center so far this season, picking up their first home win on Jan. 3 with a 78-54 win over Fordham. Hampton is 2-2 at home in MEAC play, falling 69-67 to Coppin State on Jan. 9, before beating Morgan State 73-63 on Jan. 11 on ESPNU to give interim coach Edward Joyner Jr. his first conference home win. The Pirates are 8-4 at home against Norfolk State.

Live stats for Saturday's game between Hampton and Norfolk State will be available through the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com. Pirates basketball games can be heard live on WHOV 88.1 FM, with Rod Pinkney and Shamar Woods 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.