ECU Ends Losing Streak With Decisive Win Over St. Andrews
January 03, 2005 | Men's Basketball
All five starters scored double digits, including junior Corey Rouse, who finished with a game-high 19 points and career-best 15 rebounds. Senior Moussa Badiane also recorded a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Sophomore Japhet McNeil finished with a career-high 15 points, while fellow backcourt starters Tom Hammonds and Mike Cook added 14 and 11 points respectively.
The Pirates (5-7) held St. Andrews to an ECU opponent record low 22.8 percent shooting and yielded the fewest points in the 37-year history of Minges Coliseum. The Knights (5-2) made just five field goals in the second half and finished the game 13-of-57 from the field.
McNeil made his first of three threes to open the game and the Pirates never looked back, opening a 10-point lead in the first five minutes of the game. Bobby Short's three-pointer trimmed the ECU lead to seven with 11:29 left in the first half, but that is as close as the Knights would get. ECU built a 22-point lead during the half and led by 19 at the break, 39-20.
ECU outscored St. Andrews 40-10 in the first 15 minutes of the second half and eventually found itself up by 51 late in the game.
Taiwon Grooms led St. Andrews with 13 points and six rebounds.
The Pirates return to action on Wednesday, January 5 against USF in its Conference USA opener. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. inside Minges Coliseum.
