Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will wrap up the 2015-16 regular season on Thursday in the second part of the annual Battle of the Bay, taking on rival Norfolk State at 8 p.m. in Echols Hall.
 
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Last Time Out: With a 75-69 win over Delaware State on Monday, the Pirates (18-9, 13-2 MEAC) picked up their fifth straight win and clinched their first MEAC regular-season title since 2002. Quinton Chievous tied his career high with 29 points, while also grabbing a team-high 14 rebounds for his 11^th double-double of the season. Lawrence Cooks came off the bench to add 16 points and four assists, while Brian Darden had 15 points and Reginald Johnson, Jr. chipped in 13.
 
The Series: Since moving to Div. I in 1995, the Pirates are 23-20 against Norfolk State – including last season's 75-64 win in the semifinals of the MEAC Tournament and an 86-76 win at the Convocation Center earlier this season. Overall, the Spartans have won six of the last 10 meetings between the two teams. Hampton is 6-12 against Norfolk State on the road.
 
Pirates Against the MEAC: Hampton is 247-140 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 13-2 in conference play, having clinched the regular-season title. 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 43-59 on the road after an 82-72 win at Delaware State on Feb. 22.
 
Scouting the Spartans: Norfolk State (15-15, 11-4 MEAC), in its third season under head coach Robert Jones, is coming off an 84-66 win over Howard this past Monday. Redshirt senior guard Jeff Short is the team's leading scorer, averaging 15.7 points per game, while senior guard D'Shon Taylor is averaging 13.3 points a contest and redshirt senior guard Charles Oliver is averaging 12.6 points per game. Sophomore forward Jordan Butler, with 6.9 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 Monday's 79-65 win over Delaware State.
 
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 100^th 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 117-105, 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 Chievous (First Team), 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 below that threshold, averaging 13.0 points per contest, while Johnson is averaging 18.4 points per game and Chievous is pouring in 17.3 points per contest. Altogether, the trio accounts for 46.1 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 14 double-doubles in his last 27 games (including 11 this season), and he had a career high-tying 29 points and 14 rebounds against Delaware State. Chievous leads the team in rebounding (a MEAC-best 11.2 per game) and is second on the team in scoring at 17.3 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 (18.4 ppg). Johnson has scored in double figures in 23 of his last 26 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 in scoring, averaging 13.0 points per game, and against Howard on Saturday, he became the 28^th Pirate to reach the 1,000-point mark.
 
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.