gophers/ncaa

The Sports Network

DATE & TIME: Wednesday, December 29th, 6:00 p.m. (et).

FACTS & STATS: Site: War Memorial Gymnasium (4,800) -- San Francisco, California. Television: None. Home Record: Dominican 0-2, Hampton 3-1. Away Record: Dominican 0-3, Hampton 3-1. Neutral Record: Dominican 0-2, Hampton 3-0. Conference Record: Dominican 0-0, Hampton 1-0. Series Record: First-ever meeting.

GAME NOTES: Still winless on the season after seven tries, the Penguins of Dominican University now try their luck against the Hampton University Pirates as part of the Hilltop Challenge at the University of San Francisco.

The game was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but due to inclement weather on the east coast it was moved to today.

Operating at the Division II level in the Pacific West Conference, the Penguins have stumbled each time they've hit the floor in 2010-11. The last time out for the squad was on December 18th versus Seattle Pacific during the Dominican Classic in San Rafael, California, a matchup that ended in an 81-68 setback for the hosts.

As for the Pirates, they've notched nine wins in 11 tries so far this season, the only setbacks coming against Wake Forest in the season opener as part of the NIT Season Tip-Off, and the other a narrow 55-53 defeat at the hands of Delaware a few weeks back. Last week, Hampton recorded a 62-59 win over Liberty, marking the second straight victory and the ninth in the last 10 outings for the team.

With respect to the all-time series between these two schools on the hardwood, this is the first-ever meeting.

Both teams will be swapping opponents over the next couple of days with Colorado State and host San Francisco as well.

Aside from shooting just 3-of-9 behind the three-point line the last time out, the Penguins also fell short of putting up a real fight against the visitors on the glass as they generated a mere 22 boards, compared to 41 for Seattle Pacific. Adam Chavis came off the bench to record a team-high 22 points in 26 minutes for the hosts, while Leon Hart and Ian Collins tacked on 14 and 12 points, respectively. Chavis, the leading scorer in all but two games so far this season for Dominican, is also the only double-digit scorer on the roster overall with his 15.2 ppg as he shoots an impressive 53.8 percent from the field. In addition to losing out to opponents on the glass by more than five rebounds per game, the Penguins have been deficient beyond the arc with a total of just 22 conversions, compared to 49 for the opposition.

Down by 10 points at the break and as many as 18 midway through the first half, the Pirates fought hard to come back and took control when it mattered most, subsequently capturing the three-point win at home last week thanks to a three-pointer by Kwame Morgan with only seconds remaining in regulation. Morgan finished with a team-best 22 points as he sank 6-of-11 tries behind the three-point line overall, while Charles Funches offset his six turnovers with 17 points and nine rebounds in the remarkable comeback. Still listed as the top scorer for the Pirates, Darrion Pellum is responsible for 18.0 ppg even though he has shot just 35.4 percent from the floor and 28.8 percent behind the three-point line in his 10 appearances. Funches and Morgan check in with 13.1 and 11.5 ppg, respectively, the former also clearing a team-best 8.2 rpg. Danny Agbelese (4.2 ppg) doesn't do much in terms of scoring, but his efforts in the paint have resulted in 5.8 rpg and a team-high 33 blocked shots thus far.

This might be a game that is closer to home for the Penguins, but in this case the talent level for Dominican just doesn't stack up against the Pirates.

Sports Network Predicted Outcome: Hampton 71, Dominican University 58

12/29 10:33:59 ET