WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will take on No. 4 seed Bethune-Cookman in the semifinals of the 2012 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) Basketball Tournament on Friday at 6 p.m. at the Joel Memorial Coliseum.

The Pirates (12-20), in their third season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., beat No. 1 seed Savannah State in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Tournament on Wednesday. Senior guard Christopher Tolson (Laurel, Md.) led the way with 16 points – 13 in the second half – while senior guard Darrion Pellum (Hampton, Va.) added 12 points and junior forward Wesley Dunning (Washington, D.C.) added 10 points.

The Tigers (17-16) defeated No. 5 North Carolina Central 60-59 in Thursday's quarterfinal round, thanks to a jumper from senior forward Garrius Holloman with 5.7 seconds left. Sophomore guard Adrien Coleman led the Wildcats with 20 points, while junior forward Javoris Bryant added 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Bethune-Cookman went 21-13 last season, winning the MEAC regular-season title with a mark of 13-3 before falling to Morgan State in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament. The Wildcats, under first-year head coach Gravelle Craig, return three starters and six letterwinners from last year and were picked to finish eighth in the MEAC this season.

Instead, the Wildcats finished fourth in the conference with an 11-5 mark in league play.

Junior guard Kevin Dukes leads four players in double figures in scoring with 11.5 points per game, while Coleman is pouring in 11.4 points a contest. Guard Anthony Breeze is chipping in 10.9 points a contest, and Holloman is averaging 10.1 points a night to go along with a team-high 6.4 rebounds a game.

Bethune-Cookman is averaging 64.4 points a night on offense, while giving up 65.9 points a game.

Since moving up to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates are 17-10 against Bethune-Cookman, having won eight of the last 11 meetings between the two teams despite falling 74-64 in Daytona Beach, Fla. on Feb. 27 in the only regular-season meeting.. Bethune-Cookman has not won consecutive games against the Pirates since the 2004-05 season.

Hampton is 1-0 against Bethune-Cookman on neutral courts.

Hampton is 199-119 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. 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 5-2 on neutral courts so far this season, having split a pair of games in Cancun, Mexico on Nov. 22-23 (beating SIU-Edwardsville 68-64 and falling 78-71 to Sacred Heart) and defeating arch-rival Howard 71-53 in the Big Apple Classic at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 4. The Pirates also split a pair of games in the Dr. Pepper Classic on Dec. 29-30, falling 42-40 to Utah Valley before beating Longwood 82-79.

The Pirates have won two MEAC Tournament games so far, beating Morgan State 69-65 in the first round, before upsetting Savannah State 59-46 in the quarterfinals. For his career as a head coach, Joyner is 15-6 on neutral courts.

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.