ECU Meets Houston In Nationally-Televised Tilt
February 12, 2011 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 12, 2011
East Carolina Women's Basketball Gameday Central
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Time: 2:45 p.m. ET • Sunday, Feb. 13, 2011
Location: Hofheinz Pavilion (8,479) • Houston, Texas
Series History: Houston leads, 8-1
Last Time Against Houston: W, 94-87 OT (2/10/10 at Houston, Texas)
GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina looks to be the first team this season to knock off Houston in league play as the Pirates travel to Hofheinz Pavilion for a nationally-televised contest (ESPN2) Sunday.
Holly Rowe (Play-By-Play) and Tamika Raymond (Color) will have the call on ESPN2. Pirate fans in the Greenville market will be able to see the game in its entirety on the standard definition feed while the high definition channel will have whiparound coverage of the best action going on during that time slot.
The Pirates have won five of their last seven contests to keep pace for one of the top four spots in the league standings, as they are tied for sixth with SMU. East Carolina will face the Mustangs at home Thursday after battling Houston.
Today's contest marks the 10th in a series that began in 2002, East Carolina's first season as a women's basketball member of Conference USA. The Pirates picked up their first win over Houston last season in a 94-87 overtime decision at Hofheinz Pavilion and are 1-4 against the Cougars on the road. The teams have never played at a neutral site.
ECU returns home to face SMU Thursday in the Pirates' annual Pink Zone contest. Tipoff at Minges Coliseum is scheduled for 7 p.m., and it will be the first appearance in Greenville for the Mustangs since 2008 when they captured a 73-68 win in overtime.
ABOUT US...
The Pirates are 11-12 overall entering the contest as well as 5-5 in C-USA action. Junior Ashley Clarke paced four ECU players in double figures with 18 points Thursday in a 91-67 win over Southern Miss. East Carolina shot a season-best 56 percent in the contest and drained a school-record tying three three-point field goals (10 in the first half). Free throw shooting has been a bright spot in conference play, with ECU ranking first in the league at 72.6 percent. The Pirates are using their depth to their advantage as a bench player has scored in double figures in 22-straight games. ECU benefitted from the return of senior and leading scorer Kim Gay, who missed the two prior contests due to a knee injury. Additionally, senior Allison Spivey needs just six points to reach 1,000 for her career.
ABOUT THEM...
Houston enters the game at 19-4 overall and 10-0 in C-USA play after a 71-51 victory at home against crosstown rival Rice Thursday. The Cougars are the top scoring team in the league at 74.8 points per game while also pacing all C-USA teams in scoring margin (+8.6) and field goal percentage defense (.374). Houston is also the top rebounding team at 44 per contest. It is a senior-laden roster for the Cougars, including 2010 C-USA and 2011 C-USA Preseason Player-of-the-Year Courtney Taylor, who averages 15.7 points and 11.9 rebounds a game. She is joined in double figures by classmates Brittney Scott (15.5) and Lesslee Mason (10.3) while junior Porsche Landy is second with 15.6 points per appearance. Houston is receiving votes in both Top 25 polls.
THE LAST MEETING (JANUARY 15, 2010)...
The East Carolina women's basketball team held Houston to just one field goal in overtime, taking a 94-87 win Friday night at Hofheinz Pavilion. Allison Spivey and Ashley Clarke posted 20-point efforts with 23 and 20, the first time since the duo scored 25 and 22 against Charlotte in the season opener. Additionally, Kelly Smith and Spivey combined for an 8-for-8 showing from beyond the arc. Smith and Jean Best also scored in double figures, as the former notched 16 while the latter picked up a season-high 15.
21st To 1,000...
Senior Allison Spivey is just six points away from becoming the 21st player in program history to record 1,000 for a career. She is also 21 back of Gaynor O'Donnell and 71 behind Gale Kerbaugh.
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 46-29 (.613) 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 64th-toughest in the country. Among the teams the Pirates have faced are UCLA (7), Maryland (11), Charlotte (58), UNC Wilmington (68), Memphis (84), UCF (87), Tulane (88), and Hampton (97).
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 and is currently 17 away from the record.
SLOW STARTERS...
If the stats are any indication thus far, the Pirates can certainly call themselves a "second half" team. ECU has scored 891 points in the second 20 minutes as opposed to 784 in the first stanza.
WIRE TO WIRE...
In four of the Pirates' 10 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.
TAKE THE LEAD AND RUN...
In 11 of their 12 losses, the Pirates have trailed at the half. Conversely, they have won 10 games when leading at the break and one when the score was tied.
ALL IT TAKES IS 30...
East Carolina converted 32 field goals against Southern Miss, marking the 27th 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 69 of the last 87 games and 18 of 23 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 Pirates also shared the ball well against UCF, registering 20 assists on 23 baskets and then again against Southern Miss with 21 helpers on 32 buckets.
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 and at home against Southern Miss Thursday. With four triples at Marshall senior Allison Spivey took over sole possession of first-place on the program ledger.
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. Additionally, the 91 points scored against Southern Miss were the most by a league team in a conference game this season.
THE PATH TO 600...
East Carolina is just two wins away from recording its 600th victory in program history.
GETTING ON THE GLASS...
In the last eight games, ECU has out-rebounded its opponent by an average of 5.6 (331-286). 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 seven contests, ECU has shot 143 free throws while its foes have shot 126.
PIRATES ROLL DEEP...
ECU is currently on an 22-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.
ECU BENEFITS FROM JEAN'S BEST...
Jean Best has scored in double figures six times this season. In those games, the Pirates hold a 3-3 record with two of the losses against No. 8 UCLA and at defending C-USA champion Tulane.
A NEW LOW...
Marshall's 43 points are the least ECU has ever allowed in a Conference USA road contest. The previous mark was 52 by Southern Miss when the Pirates went down to Reed Green Coliseum in Hattiesburg and won a 68-52 decision on Feb. 22, 2007.
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 1,817 fans to Minges Coliseum. In the latest release of the national attendance figures, the Pirates check in at 75th, ahead of such teams as Alabama, UCLA, Colorado, Florida, California, Illinois, 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 18-3 record while the Pirates have racked up a 17-4 ledger.
FREE THROWS DO INDEED WIN BALLGAMES...
In 10 of the last 14 games, ECU has hit over 70 percent of its free throw attempts. The Pirates put up a season and C-USA-best 94-percent performance at Tulane, knocking down 16 of 17 from the charity stripe. In C-USA games, East Carolina is first in the league with a 72-percent mark.
