East Carolina University
Southern Miss
Lady Pirates Drop Close Contest At USM
January 31, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 31, 2009
HATTIESBURG, Miss. - The East Carolina women's basketball team dropped another close contest on the road in Conference USA play Saturday afternoon, falling to Southern Miss 68-60 inside Reed Green Coliseum. The Lady Pirates dip to 12-9 overall and 3-5 in conference play while the league-leading Golden Eagles improved to 14-7 on the season and 7-1 in C-USA action.
The teams played even the first four minutes, as Southern Miss took an 8-6 lead into the first media timeout. The Golden Eagles then asserted themselves, using an 11-2 run over the next five minutes to assume a 19-8 advantage with 11:22 left in the half. However, ECU got hot from the field, hitting its next three baskets to pull within 19-16 at the 11:07 mark. Southern Miss would then score 11 of the next 16 points to stretch its lead out to 10, 30-20, with 5:23 remaining in the period.
A free throw by Tiahana Bowens sliced the Golden Eagle advatage to four at 35-31 with under a minute left, but Andrea Barber drilled a trey to provide her club with a seven-point margin at the break.
LaCoya Terry paced the Lady Pirates in the first period with 12 points while Bowens pulled down a team-high six rebounds to go along with seven points. However, Pauline Love produced 6-of-7 efficiency from the field, including two three-pointers, to lead all scorers with 14. Barber also chipped in 10 for Southern Miss. For the second consecutive contest, East Carolina was out-shot in the first stanza, this time .483-.382 but the Lady Pirates enjoyed a 21-20 margin on the glass.
With 18:15 remaining in the game, the Golden Eagles re-established a double-digit lead at 42-31. The lead would stay the same for much of the half, but ECU would pull within five when Allison Spivey hit a mid-range jumper at the 10:08 mark to make the score 51-46.
The Lady Pirates kept the margin to five and had chances to close the deficit, but Barber hit a three with 1:30 left to give her team a 62-55 advantage, effectively ending the contest.
Terry led a trio of ECU scorers in double-figures, scoring 18 while Young and Spivey netted 12. Young's only three of the contest gave her sole possession of first-place on the Lady Pirate career three-point field goals made ledger. Free throw shooting hurt East Carolina in the contest, as the Lady Pirates hit just 10 of their 21 attempts. Southern Miss out-shot ECU .472-.344 while the Lady Pirates out-did the Golden Eagles on the glass by one, 40-39.
East Carolina returns home to Minges Coliseum for its next contest, hosting defending C-USA champion UTEP on Thursday. The game is slated for a 7 p.m. tip.
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