NEWARK, N.J. (Feb. 2, 2024) … Hampton University men's basketball team is gearing up for the Invesco QQQ Legacy Classic on Saturday. The Pirates are set to face longtime rivals Howard  at 4:00 PM inside the Prudential Center. HU began the 2023-24 season at Howard but fell inside Burr Gymnasium 92-80.
 
A Look at the Pirates
 
Hampton is coming off a narrow 59-58 loss on the road to North Carolina A&T. While both teams struggled offensively in the first half, Coach Edward Joyner Jr.'s squad shot 51 percent from the field in the second half. While HU trailed by 10 early in the second half, they were able to tie it 51-51 with 7:48 to go. The Pirates were able to keep it within a couple of possessions till the very end. Hampton's defense throughout the final 20 minutes continued to stop the Aggies forcing a four-minute scoring drought.  HU would have a chance with seconds left but the three-point attempt would be no good.
 
Throughout the season, Kyrese Mullen has been a key contributor for the Pirates. The Norfolk, Va. native has seen a 7.3 increase in his points per game average. Mullen along with being the Pirates leading scorer, has been a top rebounder in the Coastal Athletic Association Conference. Through 22 games he sits first in the CAA for rebounds per game averaging 9.1 per contest.
 
Hampton by the Numbers

• 10: Freshman Jerry Deng set a new career-high in rebounds last time out against North Carolina A&T
• 6.3: Kyrese Mullen sits first in the conference for defensive rebounds per game
• 15: Mullen had a dominant second half against the Aggies producing 15 points and seven rebounds
• 25.9: The Pirates sit fourth in the CAA for bench points per game
• 18: Ja'Von Benson ranks 13th in the conference for blocks

 
A Look at the Bison
 
Howard enters Saturday's contest with a 9-13 overall record and is 3-3 in the MEAC. While the Bison have gone 5-3 inside Burr Gymnasium, they have struggled on the road posting a 4-8 record in away contests. Howard is coached by Kenneth Blakeney who enters his fifth season with the program. Under Blakenny the Bison have had a lot of firsts. In his third season, Howard went 16-13, their first winning season since 2001. The season prior to that, Blakenny was able to recruit Makur Maker, who was the first five-star recruit to commit to an HBCU since ESPN started their prospect ranking in 2007.
 

So far this season the Bison have been one of the better shooting teams in the MEAC. Howard sits first in their conference for effective field goal percentage (53%). Both Seth Towns and Bryce Harris have been effective scores for Coach Blakenny's squad. Towns with 349 points ranks first in the MEAC for total points. Harris a native of Brentwood, N.Y., is close behind with 294 points this season. The Bison also have a solid three-point shooter in Marcus Dockery. Dockery currently leads the MEAC in three-point percentage (38.4%)
 
Howard by the Numbers

• 35.8: The Bison have the best three-point percentage in their conference
• 56: Marcus Dockery ranks 67th in the country for made threes
• 21: Along with being one of Howard's top scorers, Bryce Harris sits second in the MEAC for blocks
• 56.8%: Harris has the 48th-best field goal percentage in the country
• 22.6: The Bison on average are attempting the 49th most free throws in the country per game