East Carolina University
Hampton
ECU Drops 69-63 Decision To Hampton
December 08, 2010 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 8, 2010
Box Score |
Photo Gallery 
Hampton 69, East Carolina 63 
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Postgame Comments
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina dropped its second-straight decision Wednesday, falling to Hampton 69-63 at Minges Coliseum. The Pirates are 4-5 overall while HU improves to 4-4.
ECU converted just 20 of its 65 field goals in the contest to shoot 30 percent while making only two of its 19 attempts from beyond the arc. Hampton helped itself from the free throw line, draining 27-of-33. The Pirates held a 42-40 advantage over the visitors on the glass, producing 21 offensive rebounds which equated into 23 second-chance points. East Carolina also ended up with 15 steals while forcing 25 Hampton turnovers.
Sophomore Ariana Jackson netted 16 points for her third double-digit scoring effort of the season while senior Kim Gay put in 10. Junior Crystal Wilson just missed a double-double, scoring nine points and corralling a team-best eight rebounds.
Hampton jumped out to a 6-4 lead over the first five and a half minutes, hitting two three-point field goals. The teams then hit a scoring drought until the 11:53 mark when Jackson put in a layup to tie the score at six.
The visiting Lady Pirates hit their fourth three-point field goal of the half with 9:58 remaining, taking a four-point lead at 12-8. The score continued to progress at a slow pace as a jumper by Melanie Warner pushed Hampton in front 14-8 at the 7:41 mark.
Chareya Smith scored the first points for ECU in 4:49 when she knocked down a layup with six minutes left, but the Lady Pirates responded to keep their lead at 18-10. After Hampton extended the advantage to 24-10, Smith scored her sixth point of the night to cut into the deficit before Ashley Clarke hit a jumper at the end of the shot clock to make the score 24-14 with the clock showing 3:27.
A 9-6 Pirate run the rest of the way was capped off by a Jackson layup as the visitors enjoyed a 30-23 halftime lead. It was the lowest scoring first 20 minutes for East Carolina this season.
ECU struggled from the field, hitting nine of their 25 attempts for a 36-percent showing while Hampton was 9-for-23 (39.1) with four field goals from beyond the arc. The visiting Lady Pirates also held the advantage on the glass 18-13 but East Carolina recorded eight steals and forced 13 turnovers to stay within striking range. Chareya Smith paced the offense with six points while three ECU players pulled down two rebounds each.
McMillan drained a pair of triples to move Hampton ahead by 13 early in the second half before Kim Gay hit a jumper from the left corner at the 17:53 mark. The Pirates then scored four of the next five points to pull within 37-29 at the first media timeout.
East Carolina's defense ignited from there as Crystal Wilson layup capped a 7-2 run with 14:52 on the clock to make the score 39-36. However, Hampton answered with four-straight points to push its advantage back to seven.
Four free throws from Jackson and a Kelly Smith triple completed the Pirate rally as ECU took a brief 46-45 lead with under 10 minutes left, but Jericka Jenkins produced a three-point play to put Hampton back in the lead by one.
A Gay jumper in the lane kept East Carolina close, just three behind at 52-49 as the clock wore down to four minutes left. Then, a Celeste Stewart offensive rebound and subsequent jumper by Jackson cut the Pirate deficit to just one at the 4:17 mark.
After a pair of Jackson free throws left the score at 54-53 with 3:22 remaining, the Pirates went scoreless for a minute and 20 seconds, allowing Hampton to score five-straight and put the game out of reach.
ECU will take a 12-day break for exams before heading to Hawai'i. The Pirates will face nationally-ranked UCLA Dec. 20 at the Afook-Chinnen Civic Center in Hilo before taking on the host Rainbow Wahine the next day. The contest against the Bruins is scheduled for a 12 a.m. ET tip.
