BRONX, N.Y. – Fresh off its win in the Big Apple Classic, the Hampton University men's basketball team will stay in New York to take on the Rams of Fordham University on Monday at 7 p.m. at the Rose Hill Gym.

The Pirates (4-4), in their third season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., got back into the win column on Sunday, beating conference rival Howard 71-53 in the Big Apple Classic at Madison Square Garden. Senior guard Christopher Tolson (Laurel, Md.) led the Pirates with 15 points, while senior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) added 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds.

Senior forward Danny Agbelese (Lanham, Md.) added 11 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season.

The Rams (2-3) have lost three of their last five games following a 78-60 loss to Lehigh on Thursday. Freshman guard Devon McMillan led Fordham with 16 points, while sophomore guard Branden Frazier added 13 points. Junior forward Chris Gaston had recorded his fourth straight double-double with 14 points and a team-high 12 rebounds.

Fordham went 7-21 last season, finishing 14th in the Atlantic 10 after going just 1-15 in league play. The Rams, in their second season under head coach Tom Pecora, return four starters and eight letterwinners from last year's squad, and they were picked to finish 14th in the 14-team conference.

Gaston, a Preseason Second Team All-A-10 selection, leads Fordham in scoring and rebounding, pouring in 15.2 points to go along with 9.8 rebounds per night. McMillan is second on the team with 13.2 points per contest, while freshman guard Bryan Smith and Frazier are each averaging 11.0 points a game.

Fordham is averaging 61.2 points a game on offense, while giving up 67.6 points a night.

The Pirates are 2-0 against Fordham, having faced the Rams in each of the last two seasons. Hampton first faced the Rams on Jan. 3, 2010, winning 78-54 at the HU Convocation Center, before taking a 58-48 win from the Rose Hill Gym last season on Nov. 19.

Hampton is 8-6 all-time against teams from the Atlantic 10 – including a 58-48 win over Fordham and a 62-51 win over George Washington last season. The Pirates are 0-1 against Dayton; 1-0 against Duquesne; 2-0 against Fordham; 1-1 against George Washington; 1-1 against La Salle; 1-3 against Richmond; and 2-0 against St. Bonaventure.

The Pirates have never faced Charlotte, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, St. Joseph's, Saint Louis, Temple or Xavier.

Hampton faced Richmond on the road earlier this season, falling 72-51 on Nov. 17.

The Pirates went 8-5 on the road last season, winning three of their last four regular-season road games in 2010-11 – including the last two at Delaware State (71-64) and at Howard (83-72). The Pirates dropped their 2011-12 road opener on Nov. 17, falling 72-51 at Richmond before losing 66-52 at Rutgers on Nov. 20.

For his career as a head coach, Joyner is 14-16 on the road.

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.