HAMPTON, Va. – The Hampton University men's basketball team will return to the HU Convocation Center on Wednesday evening for a makeup game against the Bulldogs of South Carolina State. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
 
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The Series: The Pirates are 21-19 against South Carolina State after an 81-69 win over the Bulldogs in the championship game of last season's MEAC Tournament. Overall, Hampton has won five of the last seven meetings in the series. The Pirates are 10-7 against the Bulldogs at home.
 
Pirates Against the MEAC: Since joining Div. I in 1995-96, the Pirates are 254-143 against schools currently in the MEAC, going 21-11 against Bethune-Cookman, 18-18 against Coppin State, 24-18 against Delaware State, 22-11 against Florida A&M, 37-5 against Howard, 26-7 against Maryland Eastern Shore, 29-14 against Morgan State, 23-22 against Norfolk State, 24-11 against North Carolina A&T, 1-5 against North Carolina Central, 8-2 against Savannah State, and 21-19 against South Carolina State. Hampton is the two-time defending MEAC champion, and the Pirates have won six MEAC Tournament crowns: 2001, 2002, 2006, 2011, 2015, and 2016.
 
Pirates at Home: In head coach Edward Joyner Jr.'s first seven-plus seasons at the helm, the Pirates are 56-34 at home – including a 9-2 mark in the HU Convocation Center last season. That was the team's best home record under Joyner, though the Pirates did go 9-3 at home in 2013-14 and 8-3 in the Convocation Center in 2010-11 – a season in which Hampton won 24 games and made it to the NCAA Tournament. Hampton dropped its home opener on Nov. 11, falling 67-56 to Rider, before defeating Chowan 70-69 in overtime on Nov. 17, defeating William & Mary 79-69 on Dec. 3, falling 86-79 to Winthrop on Dec. 17, defeating Coker 94-69 on Dec. 30, defeating North Carolina A&T 68-53 on Jan. 4, beating Savannah State 84-80 on Jan. 9, and falling 64-51 to North Carolina Central on Jan. 16.
 
Scouting the Bulldogs: South Carolina State (5-13, 2-3 MEAC), in its fourth full season under head coach Murray Garvin, has lost two of its last four games following a 77-75 loss to Morgan State on Monday. Heading into the week, senior guard Eric Eaves leads the team in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game (fifth in the MEAC), while junior forward Tashombe Riley is averaging 10.8 points and a team-high 4.7 rebounds per contest.
 
Pirates Picked to Finish Third: Despite winning back-to-back MEAC titles, the Pirates were picked to finish third in the conference this season in a poll conducted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors. Hampton, which returns just one starter from last season, picked up two first-place votes and racked up 250 points in the poll. Howard was tabbed the preseason favorite, while South Carolina State – which fell to the Pirates in last season's MEAC Tournament championship game – was picked to finish second.
 
Cooks the Only One: Lawrence Cooks is the lone returning starter for the Pirates, and he comes into 2016-17 as the team's top returner in scoring (7.8 ppg), rebounding (3.7 rpg), assists (47), and steals (19). He is also the only player on this year's team that isn't a freshman, sophomore, or junior – though he does have two MEAC championship rings and NCAA Tournament appearances to his credit. Cooks dropped a career-high 22 points at Winthrop last season, a campaign in which he scored in double figures 11 times. Cooks had 10 points in Hampton's season opener against Rider, and he dropped a career-high 23 points against William & Mary. Cooks, who is second on the team in scoring with 11.8 points per game, dropped 21 at Appalachian State.
 
Wilson-Fisher Looking for a Bigger Role: Charles Wilson-Fisher was a key role player in the Pirates' run through the MEAC Tournament in 2015, and he was a key reserve down low for the Pirates last season. 2016-17 could figure to be a breakout season for the Los Angeles native with the graduation of Jervon Pressley, and Wilson-Fisher will be looking to improve on his scoring and rebounding averages (2.7 and 2.5, respectively) this season. He tied his then-career high in points with 10 last season against Northern Arizona, and against Rider, he set a new career high in rebounds (15). Wilson-Fisher set new career highs in points (16) and blocks (four) against Savannah State, and he leads the team in rebounding with 5.6 boards a night.
 
Strong Start for Marrow: Eighteen games into his collegiate career, freshman Jermaine Marrow leads the Pirates in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per game. He opened his career with 13 points against Rider, before dropping 11 points on Nov. 17 in an overtime win over Chowan and then scoring 15 points at Kansas State and dropping 16 at Richmond. He dropped 25 points against Stony Brook and Savannah State, and a career-high 27 points against William & Mary, and Marrow has scored in double figures in 15 of his first 18 games. The Heritage High graduate from nearby Newport News, Va. was 4A East State Player of the Year last season, proving to be one of Virginia's best scorers – averaging over 25 points a game in 2015-16.
 
Astroth Making an Impact: AJ Astroth was key in Hampton's win over Chowan on Nov. 17 – not just because he poured in a season-high 18 points and nine rebounds in just his second game with the program, but because it was his layup in the closing moments that gave the Pirates the lead. Astroth is fifth on the team in scoring, averaging 6.7 points per game, and he grabbed a season-high 12 rebounds at East Carolina. His 5.4 boards a night are second on the team, and he recorded his first double-double of the season (16 points, 15 rebounds) at Gardner-Webb.
 
Bracey Heating Up: Lysander Bracey has scored in double figures in three of the Pirates' last six games – including a career-high 19 points in an overtime win at Delaware State. He also had four assists in that contest, tying the season high he set against Savannah State. Bracey also scored 12 points in back-to-back games against Coker and North Carolina A&T, and he is averaging 9.4 points per game in MEAC play, going 16-for-40 (.400) from the floor.
 
For more information on Hampton University basketball, please call the Office of Sports Information at (757) 727-5757, or visit the official Pirates website at www.hamptonpirates.com.