Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will return to the HU Convocation Center Monday evening in search of its fifth straight win, as the Pirates square off against Delaware State at 8 p.m.

Monday night will be Play4Kay Night, in honor of former N.C. State women's basketball coach Kay Yow. Fans are encouraged to wear pink, and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be soliciting donations for the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

More information on Play4Kay (formerly WBCA Pink Zone) can be found at www.play4kay.org.

The Pirates (9-13, 6-3 MEAC), in their fourth season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., won their fourth straight game on Thursday, rallying to beat Savannah State 71-68 in overtime. Freshman guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) led the way with 15 points and eight rebounds, while junior guard/forward Du'Vaughn Maxwell (Manhattan, N.Y.) added 13 points and four blocks.

Five Pirates scored in double figures.

The Hornets (10-12, 5-3 MEAC) fell 74-56 to conference leader Norfolk State on Saturday, despite 16 points and 11 rebounds from senior forward Marques Oliver, along with 11 points from freshman guard Miles Bowman.

The Hornets went 15-14 last season, finishing third in the MEAC with a mark of 12-4 before falling to Florida A&M in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Tournament. Delaware State is in its 13th season under head coach Greg Jackson, and the Hornets were picked to finish second in the MEAC this season.

Sophomore guard Tahj Tate is the only Delaware State player averaging double figures in scoring this season, pouring in a team-high 13.1 points per game. Oliver is pulling down a team-high 6.0 rebounds per game, to go along with his 8.3 points per contest.

The Hornets are averaging 60.0 points a game on offense, while giving up 64.2 points a night.

Since moving up to the Div. I level in 1995, the Pirates are 17-15 against Delaware State – despite losing both meetings against the Hornets last season, including a 74-68 double-overtime defeat at the HU Convocation Center. Before last season, Hampton won three straight and four of five over Delaware State. The Pirates are 9-6 against Delaware State at home.

Hampton is 205-122 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 6-3 in MEAC play and sits fifth in the conference. 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 24-17 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, falling 80-78 to Morgan State on Jan. 19, and falling 67-65 in overtime to Coppin State on Jan. 21 for a 4-4 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.