Game Notes

HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will look for its second straight win on Monday evening, as the Pirates square off against rival Howard in the first round of the Battle for the Real HU at 8 p.m. in the Convocation Center.
 
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Last Time Out: The Pirates (9-14, 5-5 MEAC) snapped a six-game losing streak on Saturday evening with a 64-61 win over Maryland Eastern Shore. Junior guard Reginald Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) led three Pirates in double figures with 21 points, while redshirt junior guard/forward Dwight Meikle (Baltimore, Md.) recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 16 points and a team-high 12 rebounds. Junior guard Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) added 11 points and four assists.
 
The Series: The Pirates are 33-5 against Howard since moving up to Div. I in 1995, and Hampton has won each of the last nine meetings – including a season sweep last year. Howard's last win against Hampton came in the 2009-10 season. Overall, the Pirates have won 21 of the last 23 meetings between the two teams. Hampton is 14-1 against Howard at home dating back to 1995.
 
The Opponent: Howard (12-11, 6-3 MEAC), in its fifth season under head coach Kevin Nickelberry – who once roamed the sidelines at Hampton – had a four-game winning streak snapped Saturday night with a 72-69 loss at Norfolk State. The Bison have won five of their last seven games, and sophomore guard James Daniel, the reigning MEAC Rookie of the Year, leads the team in scoring with 17.1 points per game. Senior guard/forward James Carlton is averaging 16.1 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, while sophomore guard/forward James Miller is averaging 12.2 points per contest.
 
Pirates at Home: During Edward Joyner Jr.'s career as a head coach, Hampton is 41-28 overall in the Convocation Center, and the Pirates were 9-3 at home last season. Overall, the Pirates have won nine of their last 12 home games following a 64-61 win over Maryland Eastern Shore on Saturday.
 
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: 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 Saturday's game against Maryland Eastern Shore, Joyner has 91 career wins as a head coach, leaving him nine 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 now holds 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 917 career points after the Pirates' game against UMES, leaving him just 83 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 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 8.4 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 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 12 times so far this season. His 13.1 points per game lead the team after he dropped 26 against the Eagles on Jan. 19. Meikle is also averaging a team-best 7.6 rebounds a game, ranking fifth in the MEAC, after grabbing 12 on Monday against UMES.

Pressley Crashing the Glass: 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 5.2 rebounds per game are third on the team after he grabbed 11 at Norfolk State.
 
New Faces, Plenty of Experience: Two Hampton newcomers already have Div. I experience: guard Quinton Chievous (Chicago, Ill.) 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 14 of the Pirates' first 23 games; Chievous is second on the team in both rebounding (6.2 per game) and scoring (10.9 per game). Johnson dropped a career-high 27 points on Monday at NJIT, before scoring 21 against UMES on Saturday for back-to-back 20-point games.
 
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.