Pirates Host UCF Sunday Afternoon
January 29, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 29, 2011
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ECU Women's Basketball Gameday Central
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Time: 1:00 p.m. ET • Sunday, Jan. 30, 2011
Location: Minges Coliseum (8,000) • Greenville, N.C.
Series History: East Carolina leads, 7-3
Last Time Against UCF: L, 60-50 (2/5/10 at Orlando, Fla.)
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina closes a quick two-game homestand by welcoming UCF to Minges Coliseum Sunday at 1 p.m.
The Pirates sit in ninth-place after six league tilts but 10 of the 12 teams in C-USA have already suffered three losses. ECU has won all five meetings with the Knights in Greenville but has dropped two straight in Orlando. Last season, the Pirates topped UCF 73-62 at Minges Coliseum but fell 60-50 at the UCF Arena. The Knights will be a tough matchup, battling first-place Houston all the way down to the final minute before finally succumbing by a mere three points.
Sunday's contest is also part of ECU women's basketball alumni weekend as former Pirate players will lace them up for an alumni game at 10 a.m. in Minges. The morning game is free and open to the public.
ABOUT US...
The Pirates are 8-11 overall entering the contest as well as 2-4 in C-USA action. Senior Allison Spivey netted a season-high 20 points to lead three East Carolina players in double figures as the Pirates downed UAB 71-64 Thursday. After scoring 71 points against the Blazers, ECU remains near the top of the league in scoring offense with 73.3 points per game, but gives up almost as many at 72.4 a contest. The Pirates have improved their rebounding margin as of late, trimming a mark which was once seven into the negative to a -1.8. In league play, free throw shooting has been a bright spot, as East Carolina has hit 106 of its 140 attempts for a C-USA-best 75.7 percentage. The Pirates are also using their depth to their advantage as a bench player has scored in double figures in 18-straight games.
ABOUT THEM...
UCF enters the game at 11-9 overall and 4-3 in C-USA play after falling to Houston 71-68 Thursday. Senior D'Nay Daniels is pacing the Knight offense with 14.6 points per game while three other UCF players also average double figures. Aisha Patrick is the top rebounder for the Knights, boarding the ball at a 8.3 clip. UCF is a dangerous team from beyond the arc, hitting 33 percent of its attempts as Chelsie Wiley and Jelisa Caldwell have combined for 71 of the Knights' 103 triples. From the field, UCF is hitting 39 percent and is knocking down free throws at an impressive 70 percent per game. The Knights enjoy a +2.9 margin in rebounding while also taking good care of the basketball, averaging just 15.4 turnovers per outing.
THE LAST MEETING (February 6, 2010)...
East Carolina continued its two-year long struggle on the road in Conference USA play, falling to UCF 60-50 at the UCF Arena. Kim Gay finished the affair with 14 points and seven rebounds, leading East Carolina in both categories. Allison Spivey also handed out a squad-best five assists. The Lady Pirates recovered from a poor shooting first half to hit 50 percent of their shots in the second and finish with a 40.4 percentage. The Knights ended up with a 37.3 mark. UCF also recorded 18 offensive rebounds to enjoy an ultimate 41-32 margin on the glass.
CONFERENCE USA: THE 10TH SEASON...
East Carolina is in its 10th year as a basketball member of C-USA. Starting in 2001, the Pirates became eligible to compete for the league title after contributing 17 years as a constituent of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA). Four years ago, ECU finished third in the regular season standings, its highest ranking since joining the conference. The Pirates also notched their first league tournament title with 79-70 triumph over Rice in the 2007 championship game at the Reynolds Center in Tulsa, Okla.
SUCCESS CLOSER TO HOME...
Since Conference USA split into East and West divisions before the 2005-06 campaign, ECU has fared much better against its eastern neighbors. In five seasons, the Pirates have recorded a 43-28 (.606) mark against the eastern members while producing a 17-31 (.354) ledger vs. the western side.
ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYWHERE...
The Pirates have taken on some of the nation's best this season. According to realtimerpi.com, ECU's slate is ranked as the 29th-toughest in the country. Among the teams the Pirates have faced are Maryland (13), UCLA (14), Charlotte (60) and UNC Wilmington (72). East Carolina also suffered close losses to Hampton (110) and American (116).
SIGNED AND SEALED...
The Pirates have signed two top 65 position recruits in Courtney Melvin and Ja'Nesha Ebron as well as the No. 102 ranked forward from Columbus, Ohio, Tatiana Chapple. Melvin was ranked the No. 31 post player in the nation by ESPN HoopGurlz while Ebron was tabbed No. 61 among guards by the same website. Both signees have North Carolina state championship game experience, as Melvin has led East Bladen High School to the last two title games (1A and 2A) and Ebron helped South Central to a 3A championship appearance. Current assistant coach Ann Hancock holds the scoring record at East Bladen with 2,276 but Melvin started the season just 547 points away from tying Hancock.
SLOW STARTERS...
If the stats are any indication thus far, the Pirates can certainly call themselves a "second half" team. ECU has scored 749 points in the second 20 minutes as opposed to 639 in the first stanza.
AMONG THE NATIONAL ELITE...
In the latest release of the national rankings (Jan. 27), ECU finds itself among the top 50 in a few categories. The Pirates are 29th in steals per game and 35th in scoring offense. Individually, Ashley Clarke is 43rd in steals per game.
TAKE THE LEAD AND RUN...
In 10 of their 11 losses, the Pirates have trailed at the half. Conversely, they have won seven games when leading at the break and one when the score was tied.
ALL IT TAKES IS 30...
East Carolina converted 31 field goals against Florida A&M, marking the 26th time since the start of the 2006-07 campaign that the Pirates have accomplished the feat.
YOU'LL GET TO PLAY...
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 66 of the last 83 games and 15 of 19 this year.
SHARING IS CARING...
The Pirates recorded 28 assists on 36 made field goals against Massachusetts. It was just seven shy of the school record and the most since ECU tallied the same number against Houston-Baptist last season. Additionally, the Pirates turned the ball over just nine times for a stellar assist/turnover ratio of 3.1. The nine miscues were the fewest since Nov. 25, 2005 when East Carolina also recorded nine in a 71-68 overtime victory over Ohio University.
THREE ME...
In hitting 12 three-point field goals against Virginia Union, the Pirates established a new program single-game record. However, just six days later, ECU did one better with 13 vs. Massachusetts then did it again against Florida A&M in Iowa. With four triples vs. UAB, senior Allison Spivey remained second on the program career chart and is now two away from sole possession of first-place.
THE GOOD KIND OF OFFENSIVE...
ECU owns the top two offensive outputs among C-USA teams this season with 102 points against Virginia Union and 97 vs. Massachusetts. The Pirates also boast one of the two highest single-game assist totals - 28 against the Minutewomen.
FREE THROWS DO INDEED WIN BALLGAMES...
In nine of the last 11 games, ECU has hit over 70 percent of its free throw attempts. The Pirates put up a season-best 94-percent performance at Tulane, knocking down 16 of 17 from the charity stripe. In C-USA games, ECU leads the league with a 58-percent mark.
THE PATH TO 600...
East Carolina is just five wins away from recording its 600th victory in program history.
GETTING ON THE GLASS...
In the last three of four games, ECU has out-rebounded its opponent by an average of 11 (138-105) and have picked up 16 more offensive rebounds overall. In the three prior contests, opponents enjoyed a +9.7 margin - including five more offensive boards.
BEING MORE STINGY WITH THE FREEBIES...
In their first three league games, the Pirates committed 88 personal fouls which led to 124 free throw attempts for their opponents. However, in the last three contests, Rice, Southern Miss and UAB have combined for just 47 attempts while ECU has shot 71 of its own.
PIRATES ROLL DEEP...
ECU is currently on an 18-game streak in which at least one player off the bench has scored in double figures. In fact, in the contests against UNC Wilmington, Virginia Union, Prarie View A&M, Memphis and Rice, two players that did not start netted at least 10 points.
ON THEIR WAY TO SEE THE PIRATES PLAY...
East Carolina is on track to lead Conference USA in attendance for the third-straight season, having drawn an average of 1,816 fans to Minges Coliseum. In the latest release of the national attendance figures, the Pirates check in at 74th, ahead of such teams as Oregon, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Missouri and Syracuse.
BIG CROWDS LEAD TO MINGES SUCCESS...
Since the start of the 2008-09 season, only SMU has been better than East Carolina at home in conference play. The Mustangs have a 16-3 record while the Pirates have racked up a 15-4 ledger.
WIRE TO WIRE...
In four of the Pirates' eight wins this season, they have led the entire game. Virginia Union, Massachusetts, Prairie View and UAB were the teams that could not manage a lead against ECU.
UP NEXT FOR THE PIRATES...
ECU heads out on the road for two games, beginning Thursday in Huntington as the Pirates battle Marshall. East Carolina will then head to Memphis for a Super Bowl Sunday matinee against the Tigers.
