BUIES CREEK, N.C. – Off to its best start in Big South Conference play since 2011-12, Campbell hosts Hampton Thursday in a 7:00 p.m. tip-off at Gore Arena.
 
Coming off an 82-66 win over USC Upstate, the Camels (14-10, 7-3) stand third in the league standings and are off to their best start since the '11-12 squad won 8 of its first 10 Big South games.
 
Chris Clemons scored 23 of his game-high 32 points in the opening half, Ja'Cor Nelson added 18 plus 5 assists, and the Camels shot 59 percent from the floor Saturday and led by as many as 23 against the Spartans. 
 
Hampton (10-13, 5-5) has dropped its last three outings, including a 101-91 setback Saturday at Winthrop.  Jermaine Marrow (32), Kalin Fisher (29) and Trevond Barnes (11) combined for 72 points for the Pirates against the Eagles.
 
Last month at Hampton, the Pirates built a 30-21 halftime lead and claimed a 64-58 victory.  Marrow scored 26 points and Fisher 11 for the Pirates, who made 5 more free throws (18-23) than the Camels attempted.  Clemons scored 14 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds, while Andrew Eudy (12) and Jordan Whitfield (10) also hit double digits for the Camels.
 

• Clemons (29.1) continues to lead the nation in scoring, while Marrow (24.9) is sixth, second in the Big South Conference.
• Campbell stands 8-3 at home overall, 4-1 at Gore Arena vs. Big South foes.  Hampton is 2-9 in true road games, 1-4 at Big South opponents.
• Clemons now stands 11th on the NCAA Division I all-time scoring list with 2,930 points in 121 career outings.  He has extended his double-figure scoring streak to 106 games, the longest among all active players and fourth-best in D1 history.  Clemons enters Wednesday's game only 22 points away from moving past Danny Manning of Kansas (2951 from '84-88) into 10th place on the all-time list.
• On the year, Hampton leads the Big South in team free throw shooting (.759) and blocked shots (3.5), while ranking 2nd in scoring (81.4).  In Big South play, the Pirates top the league in scoring (82.7), blocks (3.4) and steals (7.0), while rating 2nd in 3-point percentage (.387) and turnover margin (+2.4).  However, the Pirates have surrendered a league-worst 81.3 points in conference games.
• In Big South competition, Campbell leads the league in free throw accuracy (.809), turnover margin (+5.1) and assist-turnover ratio (1.8), while rating 2nd in scoring defense (66.5) and scoring margin (+6.0).
• Through games of Feb. 10, Campbell ranked 15th in the country in turnover margin (+3.8), 18th in 3-point FG per outing (9.9), 18th in assist-turnover ratio (1.41) and 22nd in turnovers per game (10.9).
• Campbell senior center Andrew Eudy ranks 3rd among Big South blocks leaders this season (1.1), 5th in offensive boards (2.2), 5th in rebounds (6.5), 4th in assists (4.0), 2nd in assist-turnover ratio (2.2) and 21st in scoring (11.6).  Against Big South foes, Eudy leads the league in assist-turnover ratio (3.6), is 2nd in offensive rebounds (2.9), 3rd in blocks (1.0), rebounding (7.6) and assists (5.0) and 16th in scoring (13.6).
• Hampton's Jermaine Marrow (24.9) and Kalin Fisher (15.8) combine for 41.7 points per game and are the highest scoring tandem in the Big South.
• Hampton leads the league in average attendance (4141), while Campbell (1919 average at 3095-seat Gore Arena) is second.
• The Pirates are in their first year as a member of the Big South Conference.  Hampton was a member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference from 1995-2018 and made six NCAA tournament appearances, most recently back-to-back trips to the "Big Dance" in 2015 and 2016.  Hampton is one of seven 15 seeds to record a victory in the NCAA tournament. The Pirates knocked out 2nd-seeded Iowa State in the 2011 event.
• Four starters return from last year' Hampton team that finished 19-16 overall in 2017-18 and in a 3-way tie for first place in the MEAC (12-4). The Pirates dropped an 84-63 decision at Notre Dame in the 2018 NIT first round.
• Head Coach Edward "Buck" Joyner, Jr., comes from a basketball coaching family.  His father, Edward Joyner, Sr., was head coach at St. Paul's College, while his uncle, Steve Joyner, is head coach and athletic director at Johnson C. Smith University.
• Founded in 1868, Hampton University is situated near the mouth of Chesapeake Bay in the Hampton Roads region.  Notable alumni include Booker T. Washington (1875), who founded Tuskegee University, former Good Morning America weatherman Spencer Christian, and NBA standout Rick Mahorn ('80), who played for the Washington Bullets, Detroit Pistons and New Jersey Nets.
• Following Wednesday's game, the Camels travel to Presbyterian Saturday for a 4 p. m. tip-off.