Game Notes

SAVANNAH, Ga. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will hit the road looking to bounce back on Saturday, squaring off against the Tigers of Savannah State at 6 p.m. in the Tiger Arena.
 
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Last Time Out: The Pirates (8-10, 4-2 MEAC) fell 59-52 to North Carolina Central on Monday, despite leading by as many as 10 points at one point in the second half. Redshirt junior guard/forward Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) led the Pirates with a game-high 26 points, going 11-for-19 from the floor. Meikle, who was the only Pirate to score in double figures, also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and had two blocks.
 
The Series: Hampton is 5-1 against Savannah State, and the Pirates have won each of the last three meetings – including an 80-71 win over the Tigers in Savannah, Ga. last season. The Pirates have won all three meetings between the two teams in Savannah, Ga.; the Tigers' lone win in the series came in Hampton, Va. during the 2011-12 season, when Savannah State was the MEAC regular-season champion (Hampton would defeat the Tigers 59-46 in the quarterfinals of the MEAC Tournament that season).
 
The Opponent: Savannah State (4-14, 0-4 MEAC), in its ninth season under head coach Horace Broadnax, has lost four in a row and nine of its last 10 following a 59-50 loss to Delaware State this past Monday. The Tigers have yet to win a conference game this season, and Senior guard Terel Hall is the only player averaging in double figures so far this season with 10.3 points per contest. Sophomore guard Alante Fenner and sophomore forward Saadiq Muhammad lead the team in rebounding; they both average 4.3 boards per game.
 
Pirates Against the MEAC: Hampton is 226-132 all-time as a Div. I program (since 1995) against teams currently in the MEAC, including an 11-5 mark in the conference last season. The Pirates went 13-3 in the MEAC last season, finishing second in the final regular-season standings. 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).
 
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 31-48 overall in true road games away from the Convocation Center. Overall, the Pirates have won 10 of their last 19 true road games following a 78-63 win at Florida A&M on Jan. 12.
 
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 against North Carolina Central, Joyner has 90 career wins as a head coach, leaving him 10 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 now tied for 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 887 career points after the Pirates' game against North Carolina Central, leaving him just 113 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 8.6 points per game after pouring in 12 points at Bethune-Cookman.
 
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 13.2 points per game lead the team after he dropped 26 against the Eagles on Monday. Meikle is also averaging a team-best 7.7 rebounds a game after grabbing eight against North Carolina Central.

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 Johnson 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 12 of the Pirates' first 18 games following his 18-point effort at Florida A&M; Chievous is second on the team in rebounding (6.9 per game) and scoring (11.7 per game).
 
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.