East Carolina University
0-1
College of Charleston
1-0
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| East Carolina | 22 | 21 | 43 |
| College of Charleston | 25 | 33 | 58 |
Pirates Fall In Season Opener, 58-43
November 11, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Nov. 11, 2011
CHARLESTON, S.C. - East Carolina could not overcome a cold shooting evening in its season opener, falling 58-43 to the College of Charleston at TD Arena.
Junior transfer Britny Edwards paced the Pirates offensively and on the glass, just missing a double-double with nine points and 13 rebounds. Junior Shala Hodges also contributed eight points.
The Pirates shot just 25 percent and were out-rebounded 49-39. ECU forced 28 turnovers but gave it away 24 times itself. East Carolina also faltered from behind the arc, hitting just two of 20 attempts.
Stewart opened the game's scoring with a three from the wing before Alyssa Frye responded with a triple of her own. Then, with the College of Charleston ahead 6-3, ECU ripped off a 12-1 run over the next five minutes to establish an eight-point cushion.
The Pirates cooled off from the floor as the clock wound down to four minutes and the Cougars capitalized, using Mikela Hopkins' post presence to push in front 20-18 at the 4:14 mark. The teams traded points the rest of the half, as Bryelle Smith's buzzer-beating floater in the lane made the score 25-22 in favor of the home side heading into the intermission.
East Carolina shot a cold 29 percent overall in the first 20 minutes while the College of Charleston produced a 38-percent mark. The Cougars also held a 20-18 advantage on the boards but the Pirates snatched eight steals to Charleston's five. The Cougars scored seven of their points from the free-throw line on 13 attempts as East Carolina was granted just six tries and hit four of them.
Britny Edwards netted five points in the half for ECU and also had a team-high six rebounds. Hopkins led all scorers with 10 and matched teammate Megan Fischer with five boards.
Charleston extended its lead to six at the first official timeout of the second half, out-scoring the Pirates 5-2 to make the score 30-24. ECU continued to struggle from the field as the Cougars took an 11-point advantage with under 10 minutes left in the contest.
East Carolina cut its deficit to single digits at seven with Shala Hodges hit a pair of free throws, but offensive rebounding allowed Charleston to pick up some easy second-chance points to push the advantage back to 11. It would stay a double-digit margin the rest of the way as the Cougars kept the Pirates at bay.
ECU opens the home portion of its schedule Sunday, taking on St. Andrew's College at Minges Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
