NCCU Sports Network Broadcast Link (GameCentral)
NCCU at Hampton Game Notes (PDF)
THE GAME
Entering the regular season finale, North Carolina Central University has recorded 20-plus wins for the first time since the 1992-93 campaign and are looking to head into the 2013 Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Tournament on a five-game winning streak and plenty of momentum in-tow. The Eagles take on the Pirates of Hampton University on their "Senior Night" inside the HU Convocation Center.
THE SERIES
NCCU and HU have met on the hardwood 74 times with the Eagles holding a 43-31 advantage in the series that dates back to 1928. Prior to last March’s 60-43 maroon and gray victory these two programs hadn’t met since Jan. 5, 1995 when the Pirates won 82-65. NCCU is 281-264 against the MEAC all-time.
THE NCCU SPORTS NETWORK
Tune into the Champps Pregame Show beginning at 5:45 as the play-by-play voice of the NCCU Sports Network Chris Hooks will bring wall-to-wall coverage of Thursday's MEAC season finale doubleheader between the Pirates and the Eagles. Fans are encouraged to download the brand-new NCCU Sports Network app and follow the game on twitter by following @NCCUAthletics, using the hashtags NCCUWBB and NCCUMBB, and sending an e-mail to
whooks@nccu.edu or
nccusn@nccu.edu.
HAMPTON UNIVERSITY "PIRATES"
Hampton University enters Thursday’s regular season finale fresh off a 75-66 home win over the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman. In the victory, the Pirates were led by the trio of Deron Powers, Wesley Dunning, and Emmanuel Okoroba. Powers led all scorers in the game with 17 points on 4-of-8 shooting and was a stellar 7-for-8 from the foul line. Dunning and Okoroba both dropped-in 11 points as Dunning was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field. The Pirates are in a dogfight to finish in third place in the league by being just a game ahead of Savannah State with one game remaining. HU is led by fourth year head coach Ed "Buck" Joyner who has compiled a 51-51 overall record at Hampton during his tenure, and led the Pirate program to the 2011 NCAA Tournament. As a team, Hampton is one of the top rebounding teams in the league averaging 38.7 boards per game and are second in the conference in field goal percentage defense allowing opponents to shoot 38.9 percent from the field. The Pirates are eighth in the league averaging 62.5 points a game, and sit sixth in the conference giving up 63.9 points per contest. Hampton ranks fourth in the MEAC in free throw percentage, shooting 66.3 from the charity stripe, but the Pirates are 12th in the conference in turnover margin at -1.50, averaging 17.3 turnovers per game, while forcing 15.8 cough-ups per game. HU is led in the scoring department by freshman sensation Deron Powers who is averaging 12.2 points per game which places him 17th in the league. Du’Vaughn Maxwell is second on the roster averaging 10.0 points a game, but leads the team in rebounds at 7.0 per game. Hampton boasts seven student-athletes that average five points a game.
UP NEXT
That will conclude the 2012-13 regular season with NCCU earning more than 20 wins for the first time since the 1992-92 campaign. The Eagles await for the bracket to be completed for the 2013 MEAC Basketball Tournament at the Norfolk Scope Arena in Norfolk, Va. which begins on Monday, March 11 and will end on Saturday, March 16 with both the men’s and women’s championships.
