East Carolina University
American
Lady Pirates Edge American, 70-65
November 22, 2009 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2009
WASHINGTON, D.C. - The East Carolina women's basketball team found itself in a battle Sunday at 2009 WNIT participant American, but clamped down at the end and used its defense to record a 70-65 win in its first road contest of the season. The Lady Pirates are now 4-0 for the first time since the 1998-99 campaign, while the Eagles fall to an even 2-2.
With the win, head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener needs just four victories to surpass Catherine Bolton as the winningest leader in program history.
Junior Kim Gay grabbed her first double-double of the season, netting a career-high 18 points on 6-for-7 efficiency from both the field and the free throw line, as well as pulling down 11 rebounds, just one off her career high.
ECU jumped ahead 4-2 in the first four minutes, using two points each from sophomores Ashley Clarke and Jean Best. American rallied to take the lead, 8-6, on a Oheema Nyanin layup, but junior Allison Spivey converted a fastbreak layup to tie the game, 8-8, at the second media timeout.
A fast-break layup by sophomore Crystal Wilson and a Spivey trey gave the Lady Pirates a 15-10 lead, but Nicole Ryan drained a three as the shot clock expired, pulling the home team to within 15-13. After the Eagles knotted the score at 15, East Carolina turned up its defense, creating turnovers and getting baskets from four different players to take a 28-21 advantage at the 3:37 mark.
The squad played evenly in the last three minutes, as the Lady Pirates took a 32-25 lead into the break.
Gay and Wilson paced the offense for ECU in the half, netting six points each while Gay collected six rebounds.
The Lady Pirates had the edge from the field, outshooting American 46.4-40.7. They also outrebounded the home squad 18-14.
American sliced into the defcit over the first four minutes of the second period, trailing by just four at 40-36 with 15:54 remaining in the contest. A short jumper by Gay off a nice feed from Kelly Smith allowed the Lady Pirates to capture a 46-40 lead at the second media timeout (11:40), but East Carolina got into some foul trouble and the Eagles rallied to tie the game on two Michelle Kirk free throws, 48-48.
A free throw shooting contest ensued as the contest wore down, but Gay put the Lady Pirates back on top with a layup at 6:09 to make the score 57-54. After a backdoor layup by Leer put the score at 59-58 in favor of the visitors with 3:42 left, ECU took a 65-63 lead into the last minute of play when Clarke buried two free throws at the 1:17 mark.
Kelly Smith hit a huge jumper with 35 seconds remaining, putting the Lady Pirates ahead 67-65 before Wilson recorded two key steals and scored the final three points of the game.
In addition to Gay's output, Clarke scored 11 points for her fourth-straight double-digit effort while Chareya Smith netted 10. Clarke also handed out six assists.
East Carolina continued its great shooting early in the season, firing at a 49.1 clip while American shot at 46.2. The Lady Pirates also grabbed 12 steals, using an effective press.
ECU returns home for its next three contests, starting Nov. 27 against Bethune-Cookman at 5 p.m. That contest is part of the Eighth-Annual Lady Pirate Invitational and will also feature Towson and Eastern Kentucky facing off the same day at 7 p.m.
