Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will return to the HU Convocation Center on Friday, wrapping up its in-season home-and-home with Tennessee State at 7 p.m.
 
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Last Time Out: The Pirates (4-6) fell 73-55 at Illinois on Wednesday, despite 12 points each from redshirt junior guard/forward Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) and junior guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.). Guard Quinton Chievous (Chicago, Ill.) added 10 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds. Meikle also grabbed seven rebounds in the loss, which snapped a three-game winning streak.
 
The Series: The Pirates are 1-0 against Tennessee State, thanks to a 62-54 win over the Tigers back on Dec. 2. This will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams in Hampton, Va.
 
The Opponent: The Tigers (2-8) are in their first season under head coach Dana Ford, and they have lost seven straight games following a 65-58 loss at Southern Illinois on Tuesday. Tennessee State went 5-25 last season, going 4-12 in OVC play, and the Tigers return just one starter from last year's squad: senior guard Jay Harris. Tennessee State was tapped to finish sixth in the OVC East this season. Junior guard Marcus Roper leads the team in scoring with 11.6 points per game, while Harris is averaging 10.9 points per contest. Junior forward Demontez Loman is averaging a team-high 5.7 rebounds a night, and junior guard Xavier Richards is pulling down 5.6 rebounds a contest.
 
Pirates Against the Ohio Valley Conference: The Pirates are 2-0 against teams currently in the Ohio Valley Conference, thanks to their 62-54 win at Tennessee State earlier this season and their 68-64 win over SIU-Edwardsville back on Nov. 23, 2011. Since moving to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates have never faced Austin Peay, Belmont, Eastern Illinois, Eastern Kentucky, Jacksonville State, Morehead State, Murray State, Southeast Missouri, Tennessee State, Tennessee Tech, or UT Martin.
 
Pirates at Home: During Edward Joyner Jr.'s career as a head coach, Hampton is 38-26 overall in the Convocation Center, and the Pirates were 9-3 at home last season. Overall, the Pirates have won six of their last seven home games following a 62-58 win over Morgan State on Dec. 8.
 
Pirates Taking on the Big Boys: The Pirates' game at Illinois on Wednesday was the third of three contests this season for the Pirates against teams from the so-called "power conferences." After facing the Hawkeyes on Nov. 14, the Pirates took on ACC foe Syracuse.
 
Pirates Picked to Finish Second: The Pirates, coming off of last season's runner-up finish, were picked to finish second in the MEAC this season, picking up nine first-place votes in the preseason poll voted on by the conference's head coaches and sports information directors. Defending MEAC champion North Carolina Central was picked to repeat as conference champions.
 
Powers, Darden Earn Preseason MEAC Honors: Powers was named Preseason First Team All-MEAC by the league's head coaches and sports information directors, while junior guard Brian Darden (Hampton, Va.) was a Preseason Third Team All-MEAC selection. Powers was third in the MEAC in free throw percentage, fourth in assists and fifth in assist-turnover ratio last season, while Darden was ninth in the conference in 3-pointers made, averaging 2.0 per contest.
 
Joyner Closing in on 100: Following Wednesday's game at Illinois, head coach Edward Joyner Jr. has 86 career wins as a head coach, leaving him 14 shy of 100. If the Pirates match last season's win total, Joyner – in his sixth season at the helm – will reach that mark this season. Only two coaches in Hampton history have won at least 100 games with the school: Malcolm Avery (140 wins, 1987-95) and Hank Ford (228 wins, 1975-87). Joyner is five wins shy of the all-time program Div. I wins record; Steve Merfeld (1997-2002) won 90 games with the Pirates.
 
Powers Closing in on a Milestone: Powers is sitting on 836 career points after this past Saturday's game against Coppin State, leaving him just 164 points shy of the 1,000-point mark for his career. Powers, the 2012-13 MEAC Rookie of the Year, would be the 27th Pirate to ever reach that mark – and the first since Darrion Pellum reached the mark in the 2011-12 season. Powers scored 366 points last season, ranking second on the team with 11.8 points per game, and he ended the 2013-14 season by scoring in double figures in six of his last seven games – including three straight 20-point efforts from Feb. 24-March 6.
 
Darden Looking for More: Darden was third on the team in scoring last season, averaging 10.4 points per game, and he ended the season on a high note with a career-high 22 points at Penn State in the first round of the CBI. He averaged 2.0 made 3-pointers per game in 2013-14, ranking ninth in the MEAC. Darden, who shot 32.6 percent (63-for-193) from 3-point range last season, was named Preseason Third Team All-MEAC, and he comes into this season as the Pirates' best option from long distance. He had 10 points in the Pirates' opener at Iowa, before pouring in 18 points in the Pirates' win over Alcorn State. He is fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 8.0 points per game.
 
Meikle Getting His Chance: Meikle shot just over 48 percent from the floor last season, en route to averaging 5.8 points per game. The rising redshirt junior scored in double figures seven times in 2013-14, tying his career high with 16 points against Winthrop on Dec. 29, 2013. He also showed flashes on defense, blocking 13 shots on the season – including a career-high six at Virginia back on Nov. 26, 2013. He led three Pirates in double figures at Iowa with 14 points, and he has scored in double figures six times so far this season. His 11.3 points per game are second on the team after dropping 12 points at Illinois on Wednesday.
 
Pressley Crashing the Glass: Junior forward Jervon Pressley (Charlotte, N.C.) was second on the team in rebounds last season, despite playing in just 21 games. He averaged 5.1 boards per contest in 2013-14, grabbing a career-high 12 boards at Maryland Eastern Shore on Feb. 24 – while also scoring 12 points for his lone double-double of the season. Pressley also scored in double figures four times last season, including a career-high 16 points at Coppin State on Feb. 1. Pressley grabbed at least one rebound in 20 of the 21 games in which he played last season. Pressley grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds on Dec. 8 against Morgan State, and his 4.6 rebounds per game are third on the team.
 
New Faces, Plenty of Experience: Two Hampton newcomers already have Div. I experience: Chievous has seen significant playing time with Tennessee, and guard Reginald Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) comes to the Pirates after time at Miami (Ohio). Chievous was a career 45.3-percent shooter (24-for-53) with the Volunteers, while Johnson averaged 8.4 points per game as a freshman at Miami (Ohio). In all, five players on this year's roster transferred to Hampton from other Div. I programs: Chievous, Johnson, Breon Key (Old Dominion), Darden (Radford), and Pressley (Towson). Chievous scored 12 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds in his Hampton debut at Iowa, before dropping a team-high 17 points on 7-for-13 shooting on Nov. 16 at Syracuse. He has scored in double figures in nine of the Pirates' first 10 games following his 13-point, eight-rebound performance on Dec. 8 against Morgan State; Chievous leads the team in both scoring (12.2 ppg) and rebounding (8.1 rpg).
 
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.