East Carolina University
6-3
Jacksonville
1-9
Pirates Down Jacksonville In Myrtle Beach, 70-64
December 18, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 18, 2011
MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - A spirited effort on both ends of the floor in the second half Sunday allowed East Carolina to record a 70-64 victory over Jacksonville in the first game of the Carolinas Challenge at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. The Pirates improve to 6-3 with the win, capturing their first triumph away from Minges Coliseum this season.
Britny Edwards posted her second double-double of the season, scoring 14 points to go along with a game-high 18 rebounds. It was the first time since Kim Gay pulled down 15 against Prairie View last season that a ECU player has grabbed 15 or more boards. Two other East Carolina players reached double figures offensively, as Shala Hodges and Tatiana Chapple netted 15 and 14 points, respectively. Katie Paschal and Kristine Mial distributed three assists as well to help the offense flow.
The Pirates knocked down a season second-best 26 field goals on 65 attempts to end up with a 43-percent shooting mark as East Carolina hit on 57 percent in the second 20 minutes. The Pirates also pulled down 47 rebounds (14 offensive) while limiting the Dolphins to 39. Down low, ECU outscored Jacksonville 38-24 in the paint and ended with a 29-23 advantage in bench points.
Hodges pushed ECU out to a 7-2 lead when she drained a three, but the Dolphins pulled within 9-8 at the first official timeout. The teams traded runs from there, as the Pirates received a flurry of points from Edwards to score 10 of the next 17 points before Jacksonville heated up from the outside, using a number of treys to assume a 25-22 advantage.
After a Bryelle Smith three-pointer put East Carolina back in front 28-27, the Dolphins continued their outside accuracy to enjoy a 36-31 lead at the break.
Edwards had a near double-double in the first half, scoring eight points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Hodges led all players with nine points. Jacksonville held the upper hand slightly from the field, firing at a 36-percent clip as compared to 32 percent for ECU while the Pirates built a 29-23 cushion on the glass - including 11 offensive boards.
Katie Paschal knocked down a triple at the 15:28 mark to draw East Carolina to within 43-39. East Carolina continued to turn up the defensive intensity, racing out to a 50-45 lead with 11:39 remaining before completing a 28-9 run to establish a 59-45 cushion as the clock ticked under eight minutes.
Hodges hit her third three-point field goal of the afternoon at the 3:52 mark to afford ECU another 14-point lead. The Dolphins rallied once more, but could draw no closer than eight the rest of the way as Crystal Bell hit an inconsequential jumper at the buzzer for JU.
East Carolina takes on its first ranked opponent of the season Tuesday, closing out its participation in the Carolinas Challenge with a contest against No. 16 North Carolina.
