Game Notes

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Hampton University men's basketball team hit the road again on Saturday, when the Pirates square off against the Spartans of USC Upstate at the Hodge Center at 4 p.m.
 
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Last Time Out: The Pirates (6-7) fell 83-51 at Northern Illinois on Monday, despite 18 points and a career-high 16 rebounds from redshirt junior guard/forward Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) – who recorded his second double-double of the season. Junior guard Reginald Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) added 10 points for his first double-figure scoring night as a Pirate.
 
The Series: Hampton is 0-1 all-time against USC Upstate after falling 68-49 to the Spartans in Spartanburg, S.C. during the 2012-13 season.
 
The Opponent: USC Upstate (10-4) is in its 13th season under head coach Eddie Payne, and the Spartans have won five of their last seven games after a 101-55 win over Montreat College on Tuesday. USC Upstate returns two starters from a squad that went 19-15 last season, finishing third in the A-Sun with a mark of 11-7. Senior guard Ty Greene leads the Spartans with 16.5 points per game, while senior guard Fred Miller is averaging 13.2 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest.
 
Pirates Against the A-Sun: The Pirates are 0-3 against schools currently in the Atlantic Sun, having gone 0-2 against Northern Kentucky and 0-1 against USC Upstate. The Pirates have never faced Florida Gulf Coast, Jacksonville, Kennesaw State, Lipscomb, North Florida, or Stetson.
 
Pirates on the Road: The Pirates went 8-7 in true road contests last season, including a 6-1 mark in conference play. During Edward Joyner Jr.'s career as a head coach, Hampton is 29-47 overall in true road games away from the Convocation Center. Overall, the Pirates have won eight of their last 16 true road games following an 83-51 loss at Northern Illinois on Monday.
 
Pirates Taking on the Big Boys: The Pirates' game at Illinois on Dec. 17 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: Junior guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) 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 Monday's game at Northern Illinois, head coach Edward Joyner Jr. has 88 career wins as a head coach, leaving him 12 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 three 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 863 career points after the Pirates' contest against Northern Illinois, leaving him just 137 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 8.8 points per game after pouring in 10 points off the bench against Northern Arizona.

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 redshirt junior scored in double figures seven times in 2013-14, tying his then-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 eight times so far this season. His 12.6 points per game lead the team after he dropped 18 points on Monday at Northern Illinois. Meikle is also averaging 6.8 rebounds a game after his career-high 16 against the Huskies on Monday.
 
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 4.5 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 11 of the Pirates' first 13 games following his 15-point, 12-rebound performance against Tennessee State; Chievous leads the team in rebounding (7.6 per game), and his 11.7 points a game are second-best on the team.
 
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.