Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will continue its MEAC title defense in the championship game on Saturday afternoon at the Norfolk Scope Arena, taking on No. 3 seed South Carolina State at 1 p.m.
 
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At Stake: The MEAC Tournament championship and automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
 
Last Time Out: The Pirates (20-10) defeated No. 5 Savannah State 89-55 in the semifinals on Friday to record its second 20-win season under head coach Edward Joyner, Jr. Hampton scored 52 points in the second half and shot a season-best 58.0 percent from the floor. Reginald Johnson, Jr. led four Pirates in double figures with 18 points, while Quinton Chievous added 15 points and a team-high 13 boards for his 12th double-double of the season. Brian Darden added 14 points – hitting four threes in the second half – and Lawrence Cooks chipped in 10.
 
The Series: Since moving to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates are 20-19 against South Carolina State, despite the Bulldogs winning 67-62 in the Convocation Center during the regular season. The Bulldogs have won the last two meetings, but before that, the Pirates had won each of the last four match-ups between the two teams. Hampton is 2-2 against South Carolina State on neutral courts.
 
Pirates Against the MEAC: Hampton is 249-141 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. Hampton went 13-3 in conference play this season, clinching the regular season title. Since joining the MEAC in 1995, the Pirates have won three regular-season conference titles (2000-01, 2001-02, 2015-16) and five MEAC Tournament crowns (2001, 2002, 2006, 2011, 2015).
 
Pirates on Neutral Courts: The Pirates were 6-2 on neutral courts last season, including four wins in the MEAC Tournament and a win over Manhattan in the NCAA Tournament's First Four. Hampton is 25-14 on neutral courts under head coach Edward Joyner Jr., including an 8-1 mark in 2010-11 – when the Pirates won 24 games and advanced to the NCAA Tournament.
 
Scouting the Bulldogs: South Carolina State (19-13), entering its third full season under head coach Murray Garvin, has won three straight and five of six after defeating No. 2 seed Norfolk State 67-65 in Friday's semifinal round. Eric Eaves is the team's leading scorer, averaging 17.0 points per game, while Ed Stephens is averaging 13.2 points a contest. Gabriel McCray is the third Bulldog in double figures, averaging 11.7 points per game. Darryl Palmer, with 5.9 rebounds a game, is the team's top rebounder.
 
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, but the Pirates have clinched the regular-season title, their first since 2002, with a 79-65 win over Delaware State on Feb. 29.
 
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 119-106, Joyner is already Hampton's all-time winningest Div. I coach, having surpasses Steve Merfield last season.
 
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.