WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will begin its quest for its first MEAC Tournament title since 2006 on Wednesday, when the Pirates take on No. 10 Maryland Eastern Shore at 9:30 p.m. at the Joel Coliseum in the quarterfinals.

The Pirates (21-8), in their second season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., won their second straight game on Thursday with an 83-72 win over Howard at Burr Gymnasium. Junior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) led the way with 21 points on 6-for-12 shooting from behind the arc, while junior guard Christopher Tolson (Laurel, Md.) added a season-high 20 points and junior guard Kwame Morgan II (Largo, Md.) poured in 17 points.

Maryland Eastern Shore (9-21) won its third straight game on Tuesday, beating Florida A&M, the No. 10 seed, 87-85 in double overtime in the first round of the MEAC Tournament. Senior guard Kevin White led four Hawks in double figures with 22 points, while redshirt-junior guard Hillary Haley added 17 points, senior center Freddy Obame Obame added 12 points and junior forward Tyler Hines poured in 11 points.

Hampton is 19-6 against Maryland Eastern Shore since moving up to Division I in 1995. The Pirates have won 16 of the last 17 meetings against the Hawks, including a 78-66 win at the HU Convocation Center on Jan. 31 and a 79-65 decision in Princess Anne, Md. last season. Hampton won the first meeting in the 1996-97 season, 75-70 at the HU Convocation Center, but the Hawks went on to win five of the next seven meetings before Hampton rattled off 13 in a row.

Pellum and Morgan have lit up opponents, both in the MEAC and in non-conference play, this season, and the conference took notice. Pellum was named First Team All-MEAC this season after finishing second in the MEAC in scoring with an average of 17.8 points a game and fifth in the league in steals with 1.6 per contest. Pellum scored in double figures 26 times this season.

Morgan, who was named Second Team All-MEAC, led the MEAC and sits eighth in the NCAA in 3-pointers made this season with 92 and hit 36.8 percent of his 3-pointers. Morgan has scored in double figures 24 times this season and made five 3-pointers or more in five games. He also hit game-winning 3-pointers on Dec. 22 against Liberty and Jan. 1 against Colorado State.

The Hawks went 11-21 last season, finishing sixth in the MEAC with an 8-8 record; they beat Coppin State to open the MEAC Tournament, before falling to South Carolina State in the next round. UMES returns four starters and eight letterwinners from last year's squad, including Haley, and were picked to finish seventh in the MEAC.

Haley, a Second Team All-MEAC selection, leads UMES in scoring at 16.8 points per game, and is the only Hawk averaging in double figures this season. Hines is the team's leading rebounder, pulling down 7.5 boards per contest.

The Hawks are scoring 68.0 points a game, while giving up 77.7 points per contest.

The Pirates are a perfect 5-0 on neutral courts so far this season, including wins over Winthrop and Boston University in the NIT Season Tip-Off, a win over Howard in the Big Apple Classic at Madison Square Garden and wins over Dominican (Calif.) and Colorado State in the Hilltop Classic. Hampton was 2-3 on neutral courts last season, including a 1-1 mark in the MEAC Tournament. For his career, head coach Edward Joyner Jr. is 7-3 on neutral courts.

The winner of this game will advance to Friday's semifinal at 8 p.m.

To follow the 2011 MEAC Tournament, through live video and live stats, visit the official MEAC website at www.MEACsports.com. 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.