Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will look to get back into the win column on Monday, when the Pirates square off against Coppin State at 8 p.m. at the HU Convocation Center.

The Pirates (5-11, 2-1 MEAC), in their fourth season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., had their three-game winning streak snapped with an 80-78 loss to Morgan State on Saturday. Freshman guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) led the Pirates with 19 points and 10 assists, while sophomore center Emmanuel Okoroba (Garland, Texas) added 15 points and 10 rebounds.

The Eagles (4-15, 1-3 MEAC) fell 75-68 at Norfolk State on Saturday, despite a career-high 22 points from junior guard Andre Armstrong. Junior forward Michael Murray added 17 points for the Eagles, while sophomore guard Taariq Cephas added 14 points.

The Eagles went 14-16 last season, going 9-7 in the MEAC before falling in the first round of the MEAC Tournament to Florida A&M. Coppin State, in its 27th season under head coach Ron “Fang” Mitchell, lost all five starters from last season and was picked to finish 10th in the MEAC this season.

Murray is leading the team in scoring, averaging 13.3 points per game to go along with a team-high 9.3 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Troy Franklin is pouring in 11.8 points a night, while freshman guard Patrick Cole is averaging 10.5 points per game.

The Eagles are averaging 63.7 points a game on offense, while giving up 72.3 points a night.

Since moving up to the Div. I level in 1995, the Pirates are 14-15 against Coppin State, and the Eagles won both of last season's meetings. Hampton beat Coppin State during the 2009-10 and 2010-11 seasons, but overall, the Eagles have won six of the last eight meetings. Hampton is 7-6 against Coppin State at home.

Hampton is 201-120 all-time as a Div. I program (since 1995) against teams currently in the MEAC, including a 6-10 mark in the conference last season. So far this season, Hampton is 2-1 in MEAC play, with both wins coming against rival Howard. The Pirates have faced every team currently in the MEAC at least once, including newcomers North Carolina Central and Savannah State.

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).

For his career as a head coach, Joyner is 24-16 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, beating James Madison 69-65 on Jan. 7, beating Quinnipiac 70-64 on Jan. 14, and falling 80-78 to Morgan State on Saturday for a 4-3 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.