Game Notes

NORFOLK, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will open its MEAC title defense on Wednesday, squaring off against No. 9 seed Morgan State in the quarterfinal round at 6 p.m. in the Norfolk Scope Arena.
 
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Last Time Out: The Pirates (18-10) wrapped up the regular season with an 83-63 loss at Norfolk State this past Thursday, finishing with an 18-10 mark heading into the MEAC Tournament. Reginald Johnson, Jr. led three Pirates in double figures with 14 points, while Lawrence Cooks added 13 points off the bench. Dionte Adams recorded his third double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds.
 
The Series: Hampton is 28-14 against Morgan State after winning all three meetings between the two teams last season – including a 91-71 win in the first round of the MEAC Tournament. The Pirates have won nine of the last 13 meetings between the two teams, despite Morgan State sweeping the season series in 2013-14, after an 87-79 win over the Bears at the Convocation Center back on Feb. 15.
 
Pirates Against the MEAC: Hampton is 247-141 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 23-14 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 Bears: Morgan State (8-21), in its 11th season under head coach Todd Bozeman, has won four of its last five games after defeating Maryland Eastern Shore 65-58 in the first round of the MEAC Tournament on Tuesday. After the conclusion of the regular season, Senior forward Cedric Blossom, a Third Team All-MEAC selection, led the team in scoring with 14.9 points per game, while senior guard Rasean Simpson was averaging 12.3 a contest. Sophomore forward Phillip Carr, on top of averaging 10.3 points a night, was the team's top rebounder with 7.0 boards a contest.
 
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 117-106, 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 below that threshold, averaging 12.8 points per contest, while Johnson is averaging 18.2 points per game and Chievous is pouring in 17.3 points per contest. Altogether, the trio accounts for 45.3 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 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 was named First Team All-MEAC, and he 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 (18.2 ppg). Johnson, who was named First Team All-MEAC, has scored in double figures in 24 of his last 27 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 12.8 points per game, and against Howard on Feb. 27, he became the 28th 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.