Game Notes

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will look for its second straight win on Saturday, when they take on the Bulldogs of South Carolina State at 4 p.m. at the Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.

The Pirates bounced back on Monday night with a 79-65 win over Maryland-Eastern Shore at the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center. Senior forward Michael Freeman (Alexandria, Va.) recorded his third straight double-double – and his ninth of the season – with 21 points and a career-high 16 rebounds. The Bulldogs have won three straight games following Monday's 77-62 win at Florida A&M.

Since joining the MEAC in 1995, the Pirates and Bulldogs are tied all-time at 16-16. South Carolina State took two of the three meetings between the two teams last season, including a 57-56 win in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Tournament on March 11, 2009. The Bulldogs have won four of the last five meetings between the two teams, with Hampton's lone win in that span coming Jan. 17, 2009 at the HU Convocation Center, 74-60. The Pirates are 6-9 against the Bulldogs at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Hall.

The Bulldogs went 18-12 last season, finishing second in the MEAC with an 11-5 mark before falling in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament, 74-71 to Norfolk State. Jason Johnson, on top of earning MEAC Defensive Player of the Year honors, was named First Team All-MEAC, while guard/forward Jason Flager was named Second Team All-MEAC and Jimmy Williams was named to the MEAC All-Rookie Team.

Flager, a senior, leads South Carolina State and sits fifth in the MEAC in scoring, pouring in 14.3 points per game, while junior guard Darnell Porter is seventh in the conference with an average of 13.9 points per contest. Flagler also leads the team in rebounding, sitting 10th in the MEAC with 6.3 boards per game.

The Bulldogs are second in the MEAC in scoring offense, averaging 71.7 points per game as a team – though they give up 71.5 points per contest. South Carolina State is out-rebounding its opponents by an average of 35.8-34.5 per game.

The Pirates are 3-8 so far this season in true road games, thanks to victories at Wyoming (Nov. 28, 78-67) and at North Carolina A&T (Jan. 18, 65-55). Ten of Hampton's first 12 games were away from the HU Convocation Center, including a stretch of games from Nov. 25 through Dec. 23. Hampton is also 1-2 on the season in neutral-court games, including a 56-54 loss to Howard in the Big Apple Classic in Madison Square Garden on Dec. 5. So far this season, the Pirates are 2-3 on the road in MEAC games.

Live stats for Saturday's game between Hampton and South Carolina State will be available through the official Bulldogs website at www.scsuathletics.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.