Game Notes

PRINCESS ANNE, Md. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will hit the road for a two-game swing starting on Saturday, when the Pirates square off against Maryland Eastern Shore in the W.P. Hytche Athletic Center at 4 p.m.
 
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Last Time Out: The Pirates (13-8, 8-1 MEAC) have won eight of their last nine games after Tuesday's 69-67 win over Washington Adventist in their last non-conference game of the season. Reginald Johnson, Jr. led three Pirates in double figures with 30 points on 9-for-20 shooting, while Lawrence Cooks recorded his first career double-double with 12 points and a career- and team-high 13 rebounds. Akim Mitchell came off the bench to add 12 points as well.
 
The Series: Since moving up to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates are 26-6 against UMES. The Pirates have won each of the last 10 meetings between the two teams, including a 76-71 win in the quarterfinals of last year's MEAC Tournament, and 23 of the last 24 overall. Hampton is 10-4 against the Hawks on the road.
 
Pirates Against the MEAC: Hampton is 242-139 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 last season, winding up sixth in the standings before winning four games in six days to take the MEAC Tournament championship. So far this season, Hampton is 8-1 in conference play. Since joining the MEAC in 1995, the Pirates have won two regular-season conference titles (2000-01, 2001-02) and five MEAC Tournament crowns (2001, 2002, 2006, 2011, 2015).
 
Pirates on the Road: The Pirates were 5-11 on the road last season, despite winning two out of their last three true road contests. In 2014-15, Hampton was 1-7 in true road contests in non-conference play, with that win coming on Dec. 2 of last season at Tennessee State. During Edward Joyner Jr.'s tenure as head coach the Pirates are 41-58 on the road after an 80-79 win at North Carolina Central on Jan. 18.
 
Scouting the Hawks: UMES (7-16, 4-4 MEAC), in its second season under head coach Bobby Collins, has won three in a row after Monday's 85-67 win over Howard. Senior guard Devin Martin leads three players in double figures with 17.0 points per contest, while senior forward Dominique Elliott is averaging 13.3 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per contest. Junior forward Bakari Copeland is averaging 10.1 points per game.
 
Pirates Picked to Finish Second: The Pirates, coming off of last season's MEAC Tournament championship, 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. The Eagles won the MEAC regular season title in 2014-15, while Hampton wound up sixth in the standings with an 8-8 mark in league play.
 
Joyner Reached 100: Entering his seventh season at the helm, Joyner was one win shy of 100 for his career. But when the Pirates defeated American on Nov. 17, he picked up the 100th win of his career as a head coach. The Pirates won 17 games under Joyner last season, and in his six-plus seasons in charge, Hampton has made three postseason appearances – including two NCAA Tournament appearances in 2011 and 2015. At 112-104, Joyner is already Hampton's all-time winningest Div. I coach, having surpasses Steve Merfield last season.
 
Plenty of Familiar Faces: The Pirates come into 2015-16 off of their fifth-ever MEAC Tournament championship, and many of the players who helped Hampton make that run last season are back for more. There are 10 returners in total for the Pirates this season, led by Preseason All-MEAC honorees Quinton Chievous (First Team), Brian Darden (Second Team), and Jervon Pressley (Third Team) – as well as Dwight Meikle, who led the Pirates in both scoring and rebounding in 2014-15. Johnson, who was named to the MEAC's All-Tournament Team last season, also returns, as does Charles Wilson-Fisher – who contributed big minutes during the MEAC Tournament.
 
A Triple Threat: Prior to the game at North Carolina Central on Jan. 18, Hampton was one of just four Div. I programs in which three players are averaging at least 15 points per contest, joining St. Bonaventure, Eastern Washington, and Arkansas. Darden is now just below that threshold, averaging 14.1 points per contest, while Johnson is averaging 18.3 points per game and Chievous is pouring in 17.1 points per contest. Altogether, the trio accounts for 46.3 points per contest.
 
Chievous Making His Presence Felt: Chievous, the Tennessee transfer, made his presence felt for the Pirates last season, especially once the MEAC Tournament started. Chievous had three double-doubles in the last four games of the year, including both NCAA Tournament games. Before that, though, he turned in a bull-in-a-china-shop-esque 23-point, 12-rebound effort in the MEAC Tournament semifinals against Norfolk State. Chievous, who was second in rebounding and third in scoring on the team in 2014-15, was named Preseason First Team All-MEAC heading into the 2015-16 campaign. He opened the 2015-16 season in style on Nov. 14, dropping a career-high 29 points and grabbing a career-best 23 rebounds at Winthrop. Dating back to last season, Chievous has nine double-doubles in his last 21 games, and he had 26 points and 16 rebounds against Savannah State. Chievous leads the team in rebounding (a MEAC-best 10.3 per game) and is second on the team in scoring at 17.1 points a contest (which ranks third in the MEAC).
 
Johnson Lit it Up: Johnson, a transfer from Miami (Ohio), was second on the team in scoring last season – despite not playing his first game until Dec. 17 at Illinois. He averaged almost 12 points a game last season, scoring in double figures 14 times in 26 games. His career high of 27 points came at NJIT last season, and Johnson added 21 points in the next game against UMES. Johnson dropped 20 points in the MEAC Tournament championship game against Delaware State, earning MEAC All-Tournament Team honors, and also had 15 points in Hampton's win over Manhattan in the NCAA Tournament's First Four. He poured in 19 points in Hampton's 61-48 win at American, and he dropped a career-high 35 points in a double-overtime win at Northern Arizona. Johnson leads the team and ranks second in the MEAC in scoring (18.3 ppg) after pouring in 30 points against Washington Adventist on Tuesday. Johnson has scored in double figures in 17 of his last 20 games.
 
Darden Looking for More: Darden was fifth on the team in scoring last season, just shy of averaging 10 points a contest (9.8). On top of being second in the MEAC in free throw percentage (.845), Darden was ninth in the conference in 3-pointers per game. The MEAC Tournament's top 3-point shooter had a career-high 23 points at Morgan State back on Feb. 16, going 6-for-7 from behind the arc, and he had 20 points in the championship game of the MEAC Tournament against Delaware State. Darden comes into 2015-16 as a Preseason Second Team All-MEAC selection, and he had 13 points at Winthrop, and he scored 22 at Northern Arizona. Darden is third on the team and ninth in the MEAC in scoring, averaging 14.1 points per game, and he is 40 points shy of 1,000 for his career.
 
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.