NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will compete in the quarterfinals of the 2015 MEAC Tournament on Thursday, taking on No. 3 seed Maryland Eastern Shore at 6 p.m. in the Norfolk Scope Arena.
 
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Last Time Out: The Pirates (13-17) upended Morgan State 91-71 Monday night in the first round of the MEAC Tournament, with five players scoring in double figures. Junior guards Deron Powers (Williamsburg, Va.) and Reginald Johnson (Chicago, Ill.) led the way with 18 points each, while junior guard Brian Darden (Hampton, Va.) added 15 points. Junior guard Ke'Ron Brown (Savannah, Ga.) and redshirt freshman forward Charles Wilson-Fisher (Los Angeles, Calif.) each came off the bench to add 10 points, and Wilson-Fisher grabbed a team- and career-high eight rebounds.
 
The Series: The Pirates are 25-6 against Maryland Eastern Shore since moving up to Div. I in 1995, and Hampton has won each of the last nine meetings between the two teams – including a 64-61 win over the Hawks back on Feb. 7 in the HU Convocation Center. This will be the first meeting between Hampton and Maryland Eastern Shore on a neutral court.
 
The Opponent: Maryland Eastern Shore (18-13), in its first season under head coach Bobby Collins – the 2014-15 MEAC Coach of the Year – has won four straight games and five of its last six after closing out the regular season this past Thursday with an 89-76 win over Morgan State. Senior forward Michael Myers, a Third Team All-MEAC selection, leads the Hawks in scoring (16.1 points per game) and rebounding (7.2 boards per game), while junior guard Devin Martin is averaging 14.3 points per game.
 
Pirates Against the MEAC: Hampton is 231-138 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 8-8 in the MEAC this season, winding up sixth in the 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 Neutral Courts: The Pirates are 2-1 on neutral courts so far this season, including an 82-69 win over Alcorn State back on Nov. 21 as part of the 2K Classic and Monday's 91-71 first-round win over Morgan State. Hampton went 1-3 on neutral courts last season, and during head coach Edward Joyner Jr.'s tenure, the Pirates are 18-12 on neutral courts – including an 8-1 mark during the 2010-11 season.
 
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.
 
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 Darden 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 the Pirates' first-round win over Morgan State on Monday, Joyner has 95 career wins as a head coach, leaving him five shy of 100. 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 Reached a Milestone: With 12 points this past Thursday against Norfolk State, Powers became the 27th player in program history – and the first since Darrion Pellum – to reach the 1,000-point mark for his career. After dropping 18 points in the first round of the MEAC Tournament, Powers has 1,023 career points, and he was a Third Team All-MEAC selection this season. The 2013 MEAC Rookie of the Year led the MEAC in assist/turnover ratio (2.3), while ranking second in free throw percentage (.850) and fifth in assists (3.8) during the regular season.
 
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 fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 9.3 points per game after dropping 15 points in Monday's first-round win over Morgan State.
 
Meikle Getting His Chance: Redshirt junior guard/forward Dwight 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 17 times so far this season. His 13.0 points per game lead the team after a 24-point effort on Thursday against Norfolk State, and Meikle is also averaging a team-best 7.5 rebounds a game, ranking fifth in the MEAC, after grabbing eight against the Spartans.
 
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 5.0 rebounds per game are third on the team.
 
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 18 games; Chievous is second on the team in rebounding (6.0 per game) and third in scoring (10.0 per game). Johnson dropped a career-high 27 points at NJIT on Feb. 2, before scoring 21 against UMES on Feb. 7 for back-to-back 20-point games. Johnson, who is averaging 11.3 points per game, has scored in double figures in six of his last nine 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.