Pirates Hang On to Defeat Hokies, 74-67
December 27, 2003 | Men's Basketball
NORFOLK, VA --- The East Carolina Pirates men's basketball team defeated the Virginia Tech Hokies, 74-67, Saturday night at the Ted Constant Convocation Center. The Hokies' Bryant Matthews led all scorers with 21 points, as Virginia Tech falls to 7-4 for the season. Erroyl Bing had 14 points and 14 rebounds for a double-double, while Gabriel Mikulas contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds for another double-double, to lead East Carolina, as the Pirates improve to 7-1.
The first half belonged to East Carolina. Early in the half, Virginia Tech held a narrow 6-4 lead, before the Pirates rolled off a 8-0 run, led by Derrick Wiley's four points, to grab a 12-6 advantage with 14:13 left. The Hokies bounced back to cut the lead down to two points, 12-10, by the 13:33 mark, but a Belton Rivers three-pointer gave East Carolina a 15-10 lead at the 11:09 mark. The Pirate lead extended to 10 points, 25-15 at the seven minute mark, off two three-pointers and a layup by Mike Cook, before Virginia Tech was able to cut it down to five points, 25-20, off a 5-0 run, led by Coleman Collins' four points.
East Carolina extended its lead to 10 points once again, 32-22, by the 1:54 mark of the half, after a technical foul was called on the Virginia Tech bench. Derrick Wiley and Gabriel Mikulas each added a three-pointer in the effort.
Resilient, Virginia Tech again cut the Pirate lead down to five points, 32-27, at the 1:07 mark of the half, off Bryant Matthews' three-pointer and two free throws, before the Pirates extended the lead to six points, 34-28, going into the half.
The Pirates extended their lead to nine points, 40-31, by the 18:04 mark of the second half, but a Zabian Dowdell three-pointer for Virginia Tech cut the lead down to six points, 40-34 with 17:47 remaining in the game.
By the 15:42 mark, the Hokies cut the lead down to just four points, 42-38 off a Dowdell jumper. East Carolina's Erroyl Bing connected on a three-pointer to increase the Pirate lead to seven, 45-38, with 15:28 left in the half.
A Dowdell layup cut the Pirate lead to three points with 11:38 remaining in the game, and a pair of Allen Calloway free throws further cut the lead to just one point, 49-48. Bryant Matthews added another free throw nearly two minutes later, at the 9:39 mark, to tie the game at 49.
Moments later, Matthews hit a three-pointer to give the Hokies their first lead since holding a 2-0 advantage to start off the game, 52-49. East Carolina came back to tie the game at 52 off a Gabriel Mikulas three. The game was tied at 54 at the 7:22 mark, but East Carolina rolled off four straight points to take a 58-54 lead with 6:12 left in the game.
With the Pirates still leading 62-58, at the 4:56 mark, Derrick Wiley connected on a three-pointer as he was fouled, leading to a four-point opportunity. Wiley connected on the free throw to extend the Pirate lead to eight, 66-58. The Hokies were unable to come closer to within four points, as East Carolina held on for the 74-67 victory.
Bryant Matthews led Virginia Tech scorers with 21 points, followed by Zabian Dowdell's 17 and Coleman Collins' 14. East Carolina had four players in double-figures, including two with double-double performances. Derrick Wiley led all Pirate scorers with 17 points, followed by Gabrial Mikulas' 15 points and 11 rebounds, Erroyl Bing's 14 points and 14 rebounds and Mike Cook's 14 points.
For the game, East Carolina shot 48.1% from the field (25 of 52), while Virginia Tech shot 36.7% (22 of 60). The Pirates connected on 47.1% of their three-pointers (8 of 17) and 57.1% of their free throws (16 of 28). The Hokies shot 26.1% (6 of 23) from behind the arc and 50% (17 of 34) of their free throws. East Carolina held a 43-38 rebounding edge, but committed 18 turnovers to the Hokies' 13.
