East Carolina University
USF
Men's Basketball Falls To USF
December 09, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 9, 2006
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GREENVILLE, N.C. --- Melvin Buckley scored a game-high 20 points to lead USF to a 65-52 win over East Carolina here Saturday night, giving ECU its first home loss of the season and its third consecutive overall.
Junior Darrell Jenkins led a trio of Pirates in double figures with 16 points, while freshman John Fields tied his career-high with 13 points. Senior Courtney Captain netted 12 points in the loss.
Solomon Bozeman scored 16 in the USF victory, while ECU held the Big East's leading scorer McHugh Mattis to nine points, 10 points below his average.
USF (6-1) seized the early momentum, taking a five-point lead seven minutes into the game. ECU (4-4) then scored six unanswered to take its first lead of the game, 13-12.
Four lead changes ensued over the next seven minutes before the Bulls closed out the half on a 10-3 run to lead 28-23 at halftime.
Despite shooting 29 percent at the half, ECU only trailed by five thanks to its defensive effort. The Pirates scored 13 points off 11 USF first half miscues, while Fields blocked three shots.
Fields finished with a career-high tying seven blocks, while the Pirates scored 21 points off 16 turnovers.
The Bulls relied on the strength of their senior forwards Buckley and Mattis to claim the halftime lead. USF scored 10 points in the paint and dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Pirates by 14.
USF won the battle of the boards 51-28, scoring 16 points off 15 offensive rebounds.
Back-to-back 3-point baskets by Bozeman and Buckley gave USF an 11-point advantage, 43-32, with 12:44 left in the game as it steadily built its lead.
The Pirates then scored seven unanswered points to cut their deficit to four before Buckley and Chris Capko made consecutive 3s to push the USF lead back to eight, 49-41, with just over nine minutes left on the clock.
Each time ECU would cut into the lead, USF seemed to answer with a 3-point basket. USF made 5-of-7 3s after halftime, while ECU made just one 3 following intermission.
ECU trimmed the USF lead to four with 5:34 left, but USF answered with a quick 5-0 spurt to push the lead back to nine before winning by 13.
East Carolina returns to action Monday, December 18 against Morgan State. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start in Baltimore.
