HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will close out the 2012-13 regular season Thursday evening at the HU Convocation Center, celebrating Senior Night as the Pirates take on North Carolina Central at 8 p.m.

The Pirates (14-15, 11-4 MEAC), in their fourth season under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., beat Bethune-Cookman 75-66 on Monday for their ninth win in the last 11 games. Freshman guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) led the Pirates with 17 points, while sophomore center Emmanuel Okoroba (Garland, Texas) and senior guard Wesley Dunning (Washington, D.C.) each added 11 points.

The Eagles (21-8, 14-1 MEAC) picked up their fourth straight win on Monday, defeating South Carolina State 62-54. Junior forward Stanton Kidd led the way with 20 points on 7-for-13 shooting to go along with a team-high seven rebounds, while junior guard Jeremy Ingram added 14 points.

The Eagles went 17-15 overall last season and 10-6 in the conference, before advancing all the way to the quarterfinals of the MEAC Tournament and falling to Bethune-Cookman. North Carolina Central is in its fourth season under head coach LeVelle Moton, and the Eagles, who return three starters, were picked to finish seventh in the MEAC this season.

Ingram leads three Eagles in double figures with 15.9 points per game, while is averaging 14.3 points per game to go along with a team-high 6.8 rebounds per contest. Senior guard Ray Willis is pouring in 12.2 points per game.

The Eagles are averaging 67.9 points per game on offense, while giving up 56.5 points per night.

Since moving up to the Div. I level in 1995, the Pirates are 0-1 against North Carolina Central, having dropped the only meeting between the two teams 60-45 last season at the HU Convocation Center. NCCU is in just its second season in the MEAC.

Hampton is 210-123 all-time as a Div. I program against teams currently in the MEAC, including a 6-10 mark in the conference last season. Hampton has clinched the No. 3 seed in this season's conference tournament after Savannah State's loss to North Carolina A&T on Monday.

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 27-18 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 has a 7-5 home mark this season after Monday's win over Bethune-Cookman.

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.