Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will open the conference portion of its season on Thursday, when the Pirates play host to MEAC newcomer Savannah state at 7 p.m. at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates (3-3, 0-0 MEAC), in their third season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., won their second straight game on Tuesday with a 68-64 defeat of High Point at the HU Convocation Center. Senior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) led all scorers with 26 points, while sophomore center David Bruce (Linden, N.J.) added 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds, and junior guard Jasper Williams (Washington, D.C.) chipped in 10 points.

The Tigers (2-5, 0-0 MEAC) snapped a three-game losing streak on Saturday with 72-66 win over Gardner-Webb. Junior forward Rashad Harran led Savannah State with 19 points and seven rebounds, while junior forward Arnold Louis added 15 points and seven rebounds, and junior guard Cedric Smith chipped in 12 points.

Savannah State, in its first year in the MEAC, went 12-18 last season as an independent program. The Tigers, under seventh-year head coach Horace Broadnax, return four starters and 11 letterwinners from last year's squad and were picked to finish 11th in the conference out of 13 teams.

Hassan is the only Tiger averaging double figures in scoring so far this season, pouring in 13.1 points per game to go along with 5.0 rebounds a night – the second-best average on the team. Louis is second on the team in scoring with 8.0 points per game, while also pulling down a team-high 6.6 rebounds per contest.

The Tigers are averaging 60.9 points a game on offense, while giving up 71.0 points a night.

The Pirates are 2-0 all-time against Savannah State, though the teams haven't met since the 2005-06 season. Hampton won the first meeting in Savannah, Ga. 70-52 on Nov. 21, 2004, before beating the Tigers 100-57 at the HU Convocation Center on Jan. 23, 2006 – the last time the Pirates scored at least 100 points in a game.

Hampton is 191-108 all-time as a Div. I program (since 1995) against teams currently in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), including an 11-5 mark in the conference last season. North Carolina Central, in its first year in the MEAC, is the only team currently in the MEAC the Pirates have not faced since moving to Div. I.

Since joining the MEAC in 1995, the Pirates have won two regular-season conference titles (2000-01, 2001-02) and four MEAC tournament crowns (2001, 2002, 2006, 2011).

The Pirates went 8-3 at the HU Convocation Center last season, despite losing their last two home games of the season. Starting with a 78-67 win over Towson on Dec. 20 last season, the Pirates won seven straight home games – including five in a row against MEAC competition.

For his career as a head coach, Joyner is 16-9 at home, and the Pirates have won their first two home games of the season: a 73-58 defeat of William & Mary on Nov. 12, and a 68-64 defeat of High Point on Tuesday.

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.