ECU Challenges No. 23 North Carolina
December 19, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Dec. 19, 2011
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| East Carolina vs. No. 23 North Carolina Dec. 20, 2011 | 7:30 p.m. ET Myrtle Beach, S.C. (Myrtle Beach Convention Center) TV: None |
 Live Stats |  Game Notes |  Tickets |  Gameday Central |
| MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. - East Carolina faces its toughest test of the season so far Tuesday, taking on No. 23 North Carolina in the final game of the 2011 Crescent Bank Carolinas Challenge at the Myrtle Beach Convention Center. The contest marks the first of potentially three-straight matchups against nationally ranked opponents, as No. 21 Delaware and No. 5 Maryland are in the field of the Terrapin Challenge scheduled for Dec. 28-29 in College Park, Md. In its last outing, ECU downed Jacksonville by a 70-64 score after trailing by five at halftime. Britny Edwards posted her second double-double of the season, scoring 14 points to go along with a game-high 18 rebounds and five blocked shots. 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. Meanwhile, a shorthanded Tar Heel squad fell 79-48 as South Carolina jumped out to an 11-0 lead and never looked back. Chey Shegog led the Tar Heels with 17 points and five blocks. North Carolina's point total was its lowest since an 88-47 loss to Connecticut on Jan. 9, 2010. The Pirates trail in the all-time series against the Tar Heels 16-11. The two Old North State rivals have met just twice since 1994, however. The most recent game in the series came in 1999, a 66-49 Tar Heel victory in Chapel Hill. East Carolina last picked up a win against UNC on March 3, 1982 when it took a 92-72 triumph at home.
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