ECU Hosts In-State Rival UNC Wilmington Friday

Nov. 17, 2010

East Carolina Women's Basketball Gameday Central

GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina kicks off a four-game homestand Friday, hosting former CAA foe UNC Wilmington. Tipoff at Minges Coliseum is scheduled for 8 p.m., and the contest follows the volleyball team's league matchup with Southern Miss at 5.

The Pirates enter the matchup with a 1-1 record after topping Western Carolina 80-76 Sunday at the Ramsey Center in Cullowhee. Senior Kim Gay scored in double figures for the second-straight contest, netting a team-best 20 points and converting six of her eight free throws. Junior Kelly Smith also reached double digits with 10 while plucking three steals. On the glass, sophomore Ariana Jackson picked up a squad-high six rebounds to go along with eight points.

The shooting was nearly even, as East Carolina made 27 of 67 shots to produce a .403 mark as compared to a .417 performance by the Catamounts (24-for-58). The Pirates were also beaten on the glass for the second time in as many games as Western Carolina enjoyed a 44-38 advantage. However, ECU helped itself with 16 steals on the way to forcing 23 turnovers while also sharing the ball, reaching double figures in assists at 10.

Additionally, for the third time in the last 35 contests, East Carolina had every player score and record a rebound. The last time it occurred was in the 102-64 win over Southern Miss in last season's Conference USA Tournament.

Gay is pacing the Pirates with 15.5 points and five rebounds a game early in the season while junior Ashley Clarke has recorded a team-best six steals to help ECU rank first in the league with a 17.5 average. Classmate Crystal Wilson has shared the ball well, having been credited with a squad-high seven assists. Additionally, in the Conference USA rankings, sophomore Shala Hodges is first in field goal percentage, converting six of her eight attempts from the field.

East Carolina's pressing defensive style has forced a C-USA-best 59 turnovers, including 36 by American in the season opener. The Pirates have coughed up the ball 39 times, leading to a +10 turnover margin in two games.

ECU downed UNCW 72-52 in Greenville last season, shooting 66 percent in the second half and out-scoring the Seahawks 47-32 to break open a game that was 25-20 in favor of the Pirates at halftime.

THE SERIES: UNC WILMINGTON
East Carolina and UNC Wilmington meet today for the 49th time in a series that dates back to 1978. The Pirates hold a 29-19 advantage and have won six of the last eight meetings. However, the Seahawks have taken three of the last five affairs with three of those contests occurring in Wilmington at Trask Coliseum. ECU was a charter member of the Colonial Athletic Association and played UNCW 34 times while the two schools were conference mates.

EAST CAROLINA AGAINST THE CAA
East Carolina holds an all-time mark of 136-132 (.507) against the current members of the Colonial Athletic Association. The Pirates have squared off against Drexel (2-0), George Mason (24-21), Georgia State (1-0), Hofstra (1-0), James Madison (26-29), Northeastern (1-0), Old Dominion (8-42), Towson (1-0), VCU (12-10), William and Mary (31-11) and UNC W (29-19). The Pirates will face off against VCU Dec. 2 in Richmond.

WHERE SHE STANDS
Macy is the fourth coach in program history to start her tenure at 1-1. Three of the four have won their third game with the exception being Anne Donovan, who suffered a 69-57 loss to North Carolina A&T.

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
ECU protected its home court last season, racking up a 12-2 record at Minges Coliseum for the second consecutive year. That mark matched the second-most single-season wins in school history and was the most since 2000-01. The Pirates are 24-5 at home the last two campaigns and have racked up a Conference USA ledger of 13-3. East Carolina also set a new record of consecutive wins to start a home season, taking its first 12, capped off by a 74-64 victory over UTEP.

FIRST TO 30...FIELD GOALS East Carolina converted 30 field goals against Drexel in the first round of the 2010 WNIT, marking the 23rd time since the start of the 2006-07 campaign that the Pirates have accomplished the feat. The last four of five occurrences have been in overtime.

SUPER BALANCED
ECU is using balance to its advantage this season. The Pirates have six players averaging 20 or more minutes played per game while every active and non-freshman member of the roster played, scored and had a rebound in the 80-76 win over Western Carolina. There are also six players averaging seven or more points per game.

STARTING 10?
It seems like the Pirate bench gets deeper with each passing season and is an extension of the starting five. There is some truth to that statement, as East Carolina's bench has outscored its opponents' benches in 53 of the last 66 games and both this season.

UP NEXT FOR THE PIRATES
After facing UNC Wilmington, the Pirates continue their four-game homestand with a contest against Division II foe Virginia Union. ECU and VUU have never met on the hardwood and the Pirates haven't faced a D2 member in the regular season since battling Presbyterian and coming away with a 61-28 win Nov. 21, 2008

NOTING UNC WILMINGTON

UNCW is led by first-year head coach and Naismith Hall of Fame honoree Cynthia Cooper-Dyke, who spent the last five seasons at Prairie View A&M.

The Seahawks are 1-0 entering the game, defeating UNC Greensboro 62-58 in their season opener.

Senior forward Brittany Blackwell will be counted on once again to be the backbone of the Seahawks lineup as she led UNCW in points (12.9), rebounds (7.7), assists (2.9) and steals (2.3) last season. A 2010 preseason All-CAA selection for the third time in her career, Blackwell ranked in the top 12 in the CAA in all four categories and was also among the league leaders with nine double-doubles.

UNCW is 49-2 since the start of the 2000-01 season when it holds its opponent to 50 points or less in a contest. The Seahawks also hold a 46-6 mark when scoring 70 or more points.

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