Game Notes

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will hit the road on Saturday evening, when the Pirates take on Florida A&M at 6 p.m. at the Alfred Lawson Jr. Center.

The Pirates (9-18, 5-8 MEAC), in their third season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., fell 74-68 in double overtime to Delaware State on Monday at home. Junior forward Wesley Dunning (Washington, D.C.) led the way with a career-high 19 points and 13 rebounds, while senior guard Christopher Tolson (Laurel, Md.) added 18 points. Senior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) added 12 points and senior guard Mike Tuitt (Bronx, N.Y.) dished out 10 assists.

The Rattlers (8-19, 6-7 MEAC) snapped a two-game skid on Monday, when they escaped Orangeburg, S.C. win an 83-82 win over South Carolina State. Junior forward Amin Stevens led Florida A&M with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while sophomore guard Avery Moore added 15 points. Junior forward Nathaniel Drayton poured in 13 points, sophomore forward Reggie Lewis chipped in 12 points and senior guard Chris Watson scored 11 points for the Rattlers.

Florida A&M went 12-20 last season, finishing seventh in the MEAC with a mark of 7-9 before falling in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Tournament. The Rattlers, in their first season under head coach Clemon Johnson, return four starters and eight letterwinners from last year, and were picked to finish 13th in the MEAC this season.

Stevens leads Florida A&M in scoring, averaging 16.0 points per game to go along with a team-high 10.0 rebounds per contest. Lewis is the only other Rattler in double figures, pouring in 11.6 points per night.

The Rattlers are scoring 66.4 points per game, while giving up 74.2 points a contest.

Since moving up to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates are 17-11 against Florida A&M, despite losing both of last season's meetings. All told, Hampton has won three of the last six meetings between the two teams – including a 70-61 win in Tallahassee, Fla. on Feb. 22, 2010. From 1999-2003, Hampton won seven straight games over the Rattlers, before Florida A&M won all three meetings between the two teams in the 2003-04 season.

The Pirates are 6-6 against Florida A&M in Tallahassee, Fla.

Hampton is 196-117 all-time as a Div. I program (since 1995) against teams currently in the 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 conference that 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 8-5 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 and 54-53 to Fordham on Dec. 5, 74-72 to American on Dec. 7, 74-65 at Liberty on Dec. 17, 64-54 to Robert Morris on Dec. 20, 74-67 to James Madison on Jan. 9, 83-66 to Coppin State on Jan. 14, 68-56 at Morgan State on Jan. 16, 77-69 at Delaware State on Feb. 6, 70-62 at Norfolk State on Feb. 11 and 68-64 at Delaware on Feb. 18.

For his career as a head coach, Joyner is 14-25 on the road – 0-12 this season.

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.