Men's Basketball Looks To Bounce Back Against Wofford
November 25, 2005 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2005
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East Carolina will look to rebound from a frustrating 77-72 loss at home to Gardner-Webb on Tuesday night when it host Wofford inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum Saturday afternoon at 5 o'clock. The game is the first of a home-and-home series between the two teams with ECU scheduled to make the return trip to Wofford, located in Spartanburg, S.C., on Wednesday night, November 30.
Fans attending East Carolina's final home football game of the season Saturday against UAB are eligible for a free ticket to the men's basketball game against Wofford at 5 p.m. Fans presenting their football ticket at the Minges Coliseum ticket office following the conclusion of the football game will receive one free ticket to the basketball game.
The game be heard over the 18-station Pirate Sports Network or via the internet at www.ecupirates.com with Jeff Charles and Si Seymour calling the action.
The two border state rivals are meeting for the first time in 10 years. The last time these two foes faced off they also completed a home-and-home series in 1995-96 beginning in Spartanburg.
The Pirates enter the game with an overall mark of 1-1, splitting their first two games of the season at home, beating North Carolina A&T in its opener before falling to Gardner-Webb. Saturday's game is the Pirates' final home game for the next 10 days as they will also head to Old Dominion after the game in Spartanburg.
After trailing by 22 points, 31-9, in the first half against GWU, ECU pulled within two points, 41-39, but never got even despite outscoring its opponent 63-46 in the final 27 minutes. Wofford enters the game fresh off an 81-15 win over Division II Tocca Falls this past Monday. The Terriers led 50-10 at halftime and scored the first 21 points of the second half.
Wofford brings record of 2-2 into Saturday afternoon's contest. In addition to its win over Tocca Falls, the Terriers also defeated Fairleigh Dickinson before dropping games to West Virginia and Purdue.
The Book On Wofford
Wofford, a member of the Southern Conference, enters Saturday's game with a record of 2-2 after snapping a two-game losing streak against Tocca Falls Monday night in Spartanburg, 81-15. The Terriers opened the season with a victory over Fairleigh Dickinson in the first round of the Guardians Classic in Morgantown, W.Va., 73-62, before falling to the homestanding Mountaineers in the quarter finals, 61-41, despite leading by five at halftime, 24-19. Wofford then made a trip to Lafayette, Ind. where they lost to Purdue, 82-75, after holding a 74-71 lead with 2:18 to play.
The Terriers are averaging 67.5 points per game on 44.5 percent shooting (101-227), including a 31.6 percent clip from three-point land (31-98) with 38.5 rebounds and 12 assists per game. They made double-digit three-point field goals in games against Fairleigh Dickinson (10) and Purdue (12).
Defensively, the Terriers have limited their opponents to 36.2 percent shooting (79-218) overall and just 23.5 percent from behind the arc (20-85). They have forced 71 turnovers and made 46 steals, including 34 swipes in the last two games.
Wofford returns four starters and six lettermen led by preseason All-Southern Conference selection Howard Dickerson. Dickerson leads a trio of Terriers in double-figure scoring with 15.3 points per game, while also touting the best rebounding average with 7.3 boards per game. Junior Eric Marshall and sophomore Shane Nichols are tied for second on the team in scoring with 14.3 points per outing. led the Terriers with 24 points in the season-opening win over Fairleigh Dickinson, while Nichols and Wilkerson each tossed in 21 points in the loss to Purdue.
Head coach Mike Young has a record of 40-50 in his fourth season holding the reigns of the Wofford program after spending 13 seasons as an assistant coach to Richard Johnson.
The Series vs. Wofford
East Carolina leads the all-time series with Wofford, 2-0, in a series in which both games were played during the 1995-96 season. The team played at home-and-home series that year with East Carolina winning the first game at home on December 4, 68-58, and then again in Spartanburg on February 19, 79-60, to complete the sweep.
East Carolina-Wofford Connections
Up Next: Wofford
East Carolina and Wofford will continue their home-and-home series on Wednesday, November 30 in Spartanburg. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Benjamin Johnson Arena on the Wofford campus. The Pirates made their last visit to Wofford on February 19, 1996, posting a 79-60 victory.
