Wednesday, February 8
Greenville, N.C.
7 PM
East Carolina University
10-14,1-10AAC
66
vs
76
USF
19-4,8-2AAC
| Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| USF | 15 | 22 | 19 | 20 | 76 |
| East Carolina | 20 | 19 | 13 | 14 | 66 |
Photo by: Rob Goldberg
Pirates Unable to Ward Off No. 22 USF’s Second Half Surge
February 08, 2017 | Women's Basketball
GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina's Kristen Gaffney posted her third double-double of the season with 25 points and 12 rebounds in the Pirates' 76-66 loss to No. 22 USF Wednesday night. The Pirates fall to 1-10 in the American Athletic Conference while the Bulls remain in second place with an 8-2 league record.
Kitija Laksa led all scorers with 34 points and six rebounds for the Bulls. It marked the first 30-point performance by an opponent since USF's Courtney Williams scored 34 in East Carolina's upset over the then-ranked No. 25 Bulls on February 15, 2017.
The Pirates led 39-37 at halftime after leading by as many as eight points in the second quarter. It was the first ECU halftime lead since the Purple and Gold played SMU on January 7. East Carolina went on to win 58-57, its lone AAC win of the season.
Joining Gaffney in double figure scoring was Khadidja Toure and Antoinette Bannister who had 11 and 10 points, respectively. It was the second time in three games that three Pirates scored in double figures.
Head Coach Heather Macy
Opening Statement:
"I love the way that we competed tonight. I saw a lot of positives that I think we can build on. I am really proud of the way they competed but understanding that we are looking for results and that's not the result that we want."
Macy on what worked in the first half:
"I think it was getting the ball to Kristen Gaffney at the post and getting her to the free throw line. We did a really good job at that tonight."
On Gaffney briefly leaving the game:
"I think that was a turning point for us. It was a little momentum shift when we didn't get the call. It was physical play in the post that turned into a bump on the other end."
First Quarter
East Carolina won the opening tipoff and scored on its first possession with a three-pointer by Khadidja Toure. ECU took a 7-4 lead but USF battled back to take its first lead of the game at the 7:39 mark, 9-7. Toure made a layup at 5:55 to bring the game within two 11-9, in favor of the Pirates. Kristen Gaffney drew a pivotal charge and gave the Purple and Gold a 12-11 lead two possessions later. The Bulls ended a four minute and sixteen second scoring drought with a jumper by Tamara Henshaw but ECU maintained momentum and took a 20-15 lead into the end of the period. The Pirates shot an impressive 64.3 percent from field goal range and 40 percent (2-for-5) from behind the arc in the quarter while out-rebounding USF 8-4. Gaffney had nine points while Toure added seven in the frame. The Bulls had just one player with more than five points in the first 10 minutes of play.
Second Quarter
USF cut the Pirates' lead to one, 20-19, on a free throw by Maria Jespersen but back-to-back baskets for Gaffney put ECU ahead 24-19. The Bulls cut the Purple and Gold's lead to one once again, 26-25, but Antoinette Bannister answered with deep three-pointer to put East Carolina ahead 36-34. Bre McDonald hit a three-pointer of her own on the next ECU possession for a 39-34 lead with just over a minute to play in the quarter. East Carolina led by two, 39-37 at halftime, its first halftime lead since the Pirates AAC win over SMU on January 7. The Purple and Gold shot 41.2 percent from the field in the second quarter and 51.6 percent in the first half. Three-of-four shots from downtown helped the Pirates capitalize in the second quarter with Bannister accounting for two of them. Gaffney led the Pirates with 15 points in the first half while Kitija Laksa led all scorers with 16 points.
Third Quarter
The Bulls tied the game with a pair of free throws early in the third quarter and took a 40-39 lead, its first since early in the second quarter. USF rallied with a 6-0 run tying the game at 52-all with two minutes to play in the frame and held East Carolina scoreless for the final four minutes of action. The Bulls took their largest lead thus far, 56-52, into the final quarter. The Pirates shot 42.7 percent from the field in the frame but we edged 10-6 in rebounds and were scoreless from behind the arc.
Fourth Quarter
A layup by Raven Johnson cut the Bulls lead to 58-55 but Laksa responded with a three-pointer to once more give USF a two possession cushion. A basket by Tamara Henshaw made it 63-55 in favor of the Bulls with half the quarter remaining. USF shot 60 percent 60 percent (3-for-5) from three-point range in the final frame, helping to build a double figure lead late in the fourth. The Bulls took their largest lead of the game with 3:40 to play but East Carolina chipped away cutting the margin to nine points down the stretch. USF was able to fend off its second potential upset by the Pirates for a 76-66 win.
Up Next
East Carolina remains home for its final game of a three-game home stand when the Pirates welcome Temple to Minges Coliseum Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
Kitija Laksa led all scorers with 34 points and six rebounds for the Bulls. It marked the first 30-point performance by an opponent since USF's Courtney Williams scored 34 in East Carolina's upset over the then-ranked No. 25 Bulls on February 15, 2017.
The Pirates led 39-37 at halftime after leading by as many as eight points in the second quarter. It was the first ECU halftime lead since the Purple and Gold played SMU on January 7. East Carolina went on to win 58-57, its lone AAC win of the season.
Joining Gaffney in double figure scoring was Khadidja Toure and Antoinette Bannister who had 11 and 10 points, respectively. It was the second time in three games that three Pirates scored in double figures.
Head Coach Heather Macy
Opening Statement:
"I love the way that we competed tonight. I saw a lot of positives that I think we can build on. I am really proud of the way they competed but understanding that we are looking for results and that's not the result that we want."
Macy on what worked in the first half:
"I think it was getting the ball to Kristen Gaffney at the post and getting her to the free throw line. We did a really good job at that tonight."
On Gaffney briefly leaving the game:
"I think that was a turning point for us. It was a little momentum shift when we didn't get the call. It was physical play in the post that turned into a bump on the other end."
First Quarter
East Carolina won the opening tipoff and scored on its first possession with a three-pointer by Khadidja Toure. ECU took a 7-4 lead but USF battled back to take its first lead of the game at the 7:39 mark, 9-7. Toure made a layup at 5:55 to bring the game within two 11-9, in favor of the Pirates. Kristen Gaffney drew a pivotal charge and gave the Purple and Gold a 12-11 lead two possessions later. The Bulls ended a four minute and sixteen second scoring drought with a jumper by Tamara Henshaw but ECU maintained momentum and took a 20-15 lead into the end of the period. The Pirates shot an impressive 64.3 percent from field goal range and 40 percent (2-for-5) from behind the arc in the quarter while out-rebounding USF 8-4. Gaffney had nine points while Toure added seven in the frame. The Bulls had just one player with more than five points in the first 10 minutes of play.
Second Quarter
USF cut the Pirates' lead to one, 20-19, on a free throw by Maria Jespersen but back-to-back baskets for Gaffney put ECU ahead 24-19. The Bulls cut the Purple and Gold's lead to one once again, 26-25, but Antoinette Bannister answered with deep three-pointer to put East Carolina ahead 36-34. Bre McDonald hit a three-pointer of her own on the next ECU possession for a 39-34 lead with just over a minute to play in the quarter. East Carolina led by two, 39-37 at halftime, its first halftime lead since the Pirates AAC win over SMU on January 7. The Purple and Gold shot 41.2 percent from the field in the second quarter and 51.6 percent in the first half. Three-of-four shots from downtown helped the Pirates capitalize in the second quarter with Bannister accounting for two of them. Gaffney led the Pirates with 15 points in the first half while Kitija Laksa led all scorers with 16 points.
Third Quarter
The Bulls tied the game with a pair of free throws early in the third quarter and took a 40-39 lead, its first since early in the second quarter. USF rallied with a 6-0 run tying the game at 52-all with two minutes to play in the frame and held East Carolina scoreless for the final four minutes of action. The Bulls took their largest lead thus far, 56-52, into the final quarter. The Pirates shot 42.7 percent from the field in the frame but we edged 10-6 in rebounds and were scoreless from behind the arc.
Fourth Quarter
A layup by Raven Johnson cut the Bulls lead to 58-55 but Laksa responded with a three-pointer to once more give USF a two possession cushion. A basket by Tamara Henshaw made it 63-55 in favor of the Bulls with half the quarter remaining. USF shot 60 percent 60 percent (3-for-5) from three-point range in the final frame, helping to build a double figure lead late in the fourth. The Bulls took their largest lead of the game with 3:40 to play but East Carolina chipped away cutting the margin to nine points down the stretch. USF was able to fend off its second potential upset by the Pirates for a 76-66 win.
Up Next
East Carolina remains home for its final game of a three-game home stand when the Pirates welcome Temple to Minges Coliseum Saturday at 5:00 p.m.
Team Stats
USF
ECU
FG%
.517
.448
3FG%
.316
.333
FT%
.615
.563
RB
33
36
TO
10
16
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Pts
25
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
6
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
10
FGM
4
3FGM
2
FTM
0
Pts
8
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Guard/Forward
/ Women's BasketballForward
/ Women's Basketball
Guard
/ Women's Basketball
Guard/Forward
/ Women's BasketballPoint Guard
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