Game Notes

ROCK HILL, S.C. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will return from its hiatus for the holiday on Sunday, taking on Winthrop at the Winthrop Coliseum at 2 p.m. to kick off a road trip through the state of South Carolina.

The Pirates (2-8), in their fourth season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., fell 54-52 to Northern Kentucky at the HU Convocation Center on Dec. 20, despite a second straight double-double from redshirt-sophomore forward Emmanuel Okoroba (Garland, Texas), who had a team-high 16 points and 10 rebounds.

Freshman guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) added 15 points and eight assists.

The Eagles (5-5) beat Auburn 74-67 in Auburn, Ala. on Dec. 22, thanks to four players in double figures – including a career-high 16 points from junior forward Joab Jerome and another 15 points from junior guard Christian Farmer.

The Eagles went 12-20 last season, while going 8-10 in conference play. The Eagles graduated four starters from last year's squad, and this year's team has four sophomores and just three seniors. Winthrop, in its first season under head coach Pat Kelsey, was picked to finish fourth in the South Division of the Big South.

Sophomore guard Derrick Henry is Winthrop's leading scorer, pouring in 14.7 points per game, while sophomore forward Larry Brown is pulling down a team-high 5.4 rebounds per contest.

The Eagles are averaging 62.0 points a game on offense, while giving up 61.5 points a night.

Since moving to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates are 1-1 against Winthrop. Hampton lost the first meeting during the 2003-04 season, falling 84-74 in Rock Hill, S.C., before beating the Eagles 45-44 on a neutral court in the 2010-11 season.

Hampton is 13-27 all-time against teams currently in the Big South. Hampton is 0-1 against Campbell; 1-0 against Charleston Southern; 1-1 against Coastal Carolina; 2-0 against High Point; 2-2 against Liberty; 3-1 against Longwood; 2-3 against Radford; and 1-1 against Winthrop.

The Pirates have never faced Gardner-Webb, Presbyterian, UNC Asheville, or VMI.

The Pirates went 1-13 on the road last season, with that lone win coming at Florida A&M, 74-59, on Feb. 25. For his career, Joyner is 15-31 on the road after Hampton's season-opening loss at William & Mary, a 68-58 loss at Richmond, a 75-67 loss at Ohio, a 61-60 loss at UNC Wilmington, and a 73-64 loss at Radford.

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.