Pirates Host Campbell Monday
November 15, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 15, 2010
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| THE MATCHUP |
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| Category | ECU | Campbell | |
| W-L | 1-0 | 0-1 | |
| Avg. Points | 74.0 | 60.0 | |
| Avg. Points Allowed | 46.0 | 70.0 | |
| Rebounding Margin | +16.0 | -17.0 | |
| Field Goal Percentage | .429 | .408 | |
| Field Goal Percentage Defense | .360 | .423 | |
| 3-Point FG Percentage | .276 | .368 | |
| Free Throw Percentage | .828 | .650 | |
| Turnover Margin | -2.0 | -2.0 | |
| TEAM STAT LEADERS |
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| Points | J. Abrams 16.0 | L. Merthie 14.0 | |
| Rebounds | E. Straughn 8.0 | E. Griffin 9.0 | |
| Assists | Straughn/Young 4.0 | E. Griffin 3.0 | |
| Blocks | R. Sampson 2.0 | K. Mayes 2.0 | |
| Steals | J. Sherrod 2.0 | Griffin/Hartley 3.0 | |
Winning the first time out is nothing new for Jeff Lebo. He improved to 4-0 in coaching debuts as East Carolina defeated Division II Erskine College inside Williams Arena at Mnges Coliseum on Friday night. The real challenge is going 2-0, which he did during his first season at Auburn defeating Temple and Furman, but something only former coach Joe Dooley has done in the previous 44-year Division I history of East Carolina Basketball.
The Pirates held the Flying Fleet to 46 points on 36 percent shooting on their way to a 28-point victory, 74-46. It was the first time in 73 games that the Pirates had surrendered fewer than 50 points. Conference USA foe Rice managed only 45 points during its 2008 visit to Minges Coliseum.
"It was a great team win," Lebo said. "Defensively we did a very nice job and were very disciplined from the beginning of the shot clock to the end. We had nice balance offensively and we were patient enough to get the shots we wanted. I thought we shared the ball extremely well. The kids have really bought into the unselfish play."
East Carolina primarily used a three-guard lineup that included sophomores Corvonn Gaines and Erin Straughn along with senior Jontae Sherrod. Gaines and Straughn combined for seven assists and no turnovers in 54 minutes of action. Gaines played 31 minutes with senior all-conference guard Brock Young limited by injury.
Senior forward Jamar Abrams led the Pirates with 16 points, while Straughn contributed 12 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds.
Defense is expected to be the name of the game Monday night as the Pirates take on Campbell. Last season the Camels ranked second in the nation with 10.5 steals per game and eighth in turnover margin (plus-4.1) led by Atlantic Sun Defensive Player-of-the-Year Junard Hartley. Hartley, who ranked 12th in the NCAA in steals per game (2.6) last season, and fellow guard Lorne Merthie ranked one and two in the conference in steals per game. The duo led Campbell to a share of the 2010 A-Sun regular season title and won a school record 19 games as a Division I member.
"Campbell is very well coached," Lebo said. "They are very athletic with good guards. They'll play a different style than what we saw [Friday by Erskine]. That'll be good for us because we've got to make change in how we play because they are going to make us play a different way."
Hartley led the Camels with 14 points in their season-opening loss at 21st-ranked Virginia Tech, while junior Eric Griffin added 13 points and nine rebounds for the Camels.
A year ago it was Merthie, who helped the Camels upend the Pirates, 74-68, in Buies Creek. Merthie led the Camels with 17 points, including 11 after halftime. The loss ended ECU's eight-game winning streak against Campbell.
The rivalry returns to Minges Coliseum where the Pirates have won 13 consecutive games in the series and are 18-1 against the Camels since 1980.
"This is going to be a good test for us here at home," Lebo commented. "I know last year's game is still resonating with some our players."
