Balanced Effort Leads ECU Over UNCG
November 27, 2010 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 27, 2010
Box Score l 
Post-Game Press Conference
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GREENVILLE, N.C. --- Four players scored in double figures and East Carolina shot 26-of-48 from the floor (54.2 percent) en route to an 81-53 victory over UNC Greensboro Saturday night. Junior Darrius Morrow led the way with 21 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field.
Jontae Sherrod scored 17 points off the bench and Jamar Abrams had 13, while Brock Young added 10 points in his first start of the season and became the seventh player in Conference USA history to hand out 500 career assists.
"I was very pleased with our effort tonight," Pirate coach Jeff Lebo said. "I thought that was as good as we've played this year, both offensively and defensively. We were very well balanced.
"Everybody helped us, everybody contributed. It was a good team win."
Leading 37-24 at the start of the second half, the Pirates (5-2) wasted little time extending their lead. Following a Morrow free throw, Abrams scored seven-straight points and 10 of the Pirates' next 13 as ECU pushed out to a 53-33 lead less than five minutes into the second half.
The Spartans (0-4) used a 10-0 spurt to cut the lead in half, but Young scored three consecutive points to keep the lead at double digits.
After the Spartans trimmed the Pirates' lead to 10, 53-43, ECU responded with a 20-6 run over the next 7:30 to push its lead to 24. Morrow had seven points in the run, while Sherrod and Young scored five points each during the spurt. ECU out-scored UNCG 28-10 in the final 13 minutes.
The Pirates shot 15-of-24 from the floor (62.5 percent) after halftime and a 22-6 scoring edge in the paint.
Morrow set the tone early by dunking the ball for the game's first points. UNCG tied the game on a pair of free throws but it was all ECU after that. Straughn sank back-to-back 3s to ignite a 12-2 run. Abrams also made his first of three 3-pointers during the run.
The Pirates maintained an eight-point lead during the final 11 minutes of the opening half and ended it by out-scoring the Spartans 9-4 over the final 4:15. Corvonn Gaines distributed a career-high seven assists as East Carolina registered 21 assists on 26 field goals and shot 8-of-16 (50 percent) from 3-point range. The Pirates outrebounded the Spartans 41-25.
"We did an excellent job on the glass," Lebo said. "I thought that was going to be the key to the game and that's where we won the game. That's been an issue for us in some other games. Hopefully we can build upon that."
Korey Van Dussen led the way for UNCG with 13 points with Trevis Simpson adding 10. The Spartans shot just 35.2 percent from the floor and 23.5 percent from behind the arc.
ECU returns to the hardwood Wednesday, Dec. 1, against Charlotte. The 49ers defeated the Pirates 74-63 at the Charleston Classic on Nov. 19. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip-off inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
