Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will take on Saint Peter's on Saturday as part of the ESPN Ramada Worldwide BracketBusters. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. at the HU Convocation Center.

The game will not be televised.

The Pirates (11-14), in their fourth season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., picked up their sixth win in seven games on Wednesday, beating conference foe Maryland Eastern Shore 62-59. Sophomore center Emmanuel Okoroba (Garland, Texas) ed the Pirates with 13 points on 6-for-7 shooting, while freshman guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) added 12 points and a team-high six assists.

The Peacocks (8-18) dropped their home finale to Canisius 68-59 on Feb. 16, despite 20 points from redshirt-sophomore guard Desi Washington and 10 points and 10 rebounds from senior forward Darius Conley. Saint Peter's has lost four of its last five games.

The Peacocks went 5-26 last season, while going 4-14 in the MAAC, finishing ninth, and falling in the first round of the conference tournament to Marist. Saint Peter's, in its seventh season under head coach John Dunne, has five seniors, and the Peacocks were picked to finish 10th in the MAAC this season.

Redshirt-sophomore guard Desi Washington is the team's top scorer so far this season, averaging 14.4 points per game, while senior guard Yvon Raymond is averaging 10.2 points per contest to go along with a team-high 5.0 rebounds per game.

The Peacocks are averaging just 59.6 points a game on offense, while giving up 65.5 points per contest.

This will be the first-ever meeting between Hampton and Saint Peter's.

Hampton is 0-9 against schools currently in the MAAC, having gone 0-4 against Iona, 0-2 against Manhattan, 0-1 against Marist, 0-1 against Niagara, and 0-1 against Rider. The Pirates have never faced Canisius, Fairfield, Loyola (Md.), Saint Peter's, or Siena.

This is the second straight season in which the Pirates are competing in the ESPN BracketBusters, which features mid-major programs through the country as they make their final push toward March. Hampton took on Delaware on the road last season, falling 68-64.

Three MEAC teams are participating in this season's BracketBusters: Hampton, Morgan State, and defending MEAC regular-season champion Savannah State.

For his career as a head coach, Joyner is 25-18 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 is 5-5 at home this season following a 62-59 loss to Norfolk State on Monday.

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.