Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will return home in search of its third straight win on Monday, as the Pirates will square off against Quinnipiac in a non-conference tilt at 7 p.m. at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates (4-10), in their fourth season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., picked up their first road win of the season on Saturday, coming back to beat Howard 51-49. Freshman guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) had a team-high 14 points, while junior guard Ramon Mercado (Hollywood, Fla.) came off the bench to add 10 points.

The Bobcats (5-10) lost their second straight game on Saturday, falling 80-74 to Sacred Heart, despite 17 points from senior guard Dave Johnson. Junior forward Ike Azotam and senior forward Jamee Jackson each added 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Bobcats went 18-10 last season, while going 10-8 in the Northeast Conference. Quinnipiac returns four starters and nine letterwinners from last year's squad, and the Bobcats were picked to finish fourth in the NEC in their sixth season under head coach Tom Moore.

Azotam leads the team in scoring, averaging 13.9 points per game, while also pulling down a team-high 8.7 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Garvey Young is the only other player in double figures, averaging 10.3 points per game.

The Bobcats are averaging 69.9 points a game on offense, while giving up 71.9 points a night.

So far this season, the Pirates are second the conference in field goal percentage defense, as opponents are shooting just 39.4 percent (282-for-715) from the floor. The Pirates are also third in the MEAC in scoring defense, holding teams to 62.1 points per game, and fourth in blocked shots with 4.9 per game.

Teams are only hitting 31.4 percent of their 3-pointers (82-for-261) against the Pirates, the fourth-best mark in the MEAC.

This will be the first meeting between Hampton and Quinnipiac.

Monday's game will mark just the seventh time Hampton has faced a team from the NEC; Hampton is 1-2 all-time against Monmouth – the two teams last met on Nov. 29, 2009, with the Pirates winning 59-56 – 0-2 against Robert Morris, and 0-1 against Sacred Heart, having falling to Sacred Heart 78-71 on Nov. 22 in the Cancun Challenge.

The Pirates have never faced Bryant, Central Connecticut, Fairleigh Dickinson, LIU Brooklyn, Mount St. Mary's, Quinnipiac, St. Francis Brooklyn, Saint Francis, or Wagner.

For his career as a head coach, Joyner is 23-15 at home, and the Pirates were 6-5 at home last season – beating William & Mary, High Point, Howard, South Carolina State, Morgan State and Maryland Eastern Shore, while losing to Savannah State, Norfolk State, Coppin State, Delaware State, and North Carolina Central.

Hampton defeated Howard 58-50 in its 2012-13 home debut, before falling 66-54 to Robert Morris on Dec. 8, beating American 72-65 on Dec. 18, falling 54-52 to Northern Kentucky on Dec. 20, and beating James Madison 69-65 on Jan. 7 for a 3-2 home mark.

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.