ECU Shoots For First League Win Against UTEP
January 17, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2012
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| UTEP at East Carolina Jan. 18, 2012 | 7 p.m. ET Greenville, N.C. (Minges Coliseum) TV: None |
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - Looking to end a seven-game losing streak, East Carolina returns to Minges Coliseum Wednesday night for a contest with first-place UTEP. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
A key matchup will be the Miners' potent offense, which sports a league-best 65.5 points per game in C-USA games, against the ECU defense which is allowing opponents a league-low .293 field goal percentage. East Carolina will also have to keep UTEP off the glass as the visitors average 46.2 rebounds per conference tilt.
The Pirates suffered a 62-59 setback at the league's preseason favorite Memphis last Sunday in which ECU had a chance to tie the game on its last possession but could not find the basket on a three-point attempt. Bryelle Smith and Chareya Smith recorded 11 points each to lead the offense and Tatiana Chapple pulled down a team-best 11 rebounds. Bryelle was able to add an East Carolina season-best nine assists and two steals as Kristine Mial and Janesha Ebron each blocked two shots.
ECU spread the ball out very well in the contest, with 18 assists on 22 made baskets. The Pirates also shot their best percentage from the field since Dec. 18 against Jacksonville with a 41-percent performance (22-for-54). Meanwhile, the Tigers were limited to 34 percent and drained 22 of their 64 tries. Memphis also won the rebounding battle 47-40 and plucked 18 steals with physical defense. The Tigers were abysmal, however, from the charity stripe as they made just 14 of their 33 free throws.
Bryelle Smith had a clean three-point attempt from the top of the key with 18 seconds left that looked good off of her hand, but bounced in and out then out of bounds off of Memphis. Smith then had two more contested shots from distance but could not convert, allowing the Tigers to escape.
Meanwhile, the Miners enter Wednesday's contest on a five-game winning streak and boasting a 15-2 overall record and 4-0 league ledger. UTEP trailed by 10 at Tulane late in the game Sunday, but rallied to force overtime then bested the Green Wave by a point in the extra session.
Freshman Jenzel Nash had a career night with 25 points, seven rebounds and seven steals while Gloria Brown and Kayla Thornton buoyed Nash with 13 points each. The Miners finished at 33.3 percent (21-of-63) from the floor, but hit all four field goals in OT while also going 21-of-28 at the free-throw line and winning the rebounding battle, 45-39. Kelli Willingham dished out seven of UTEP's 12 assists.
The Series: UTEP
East Carolina and UTEP meet Wednesday for the seventh time in a series that began in 2006. ECU owns a 4-2 lead overall and has won two of the last three matchups but dropped an 89-80 decision last season in El Paso.
Looks Can Be Deceiving
ECU has dropped seven in a row, yes, but five of those contests have been decided by single digits. The Pirates have lost their three league games by a total of 14 points.
A Tough Road To Begin
The Conference USA scheduled makers did ECU no favors when making this season's league slate. The Pirates played defending conference champion UCF, 2011 WBI champion UAB and preseason C-USA favorite Memphis to begin and will face one of the remaining unbeaten league teams in UTEP today.
Finish The Job
East Carolina has had the lead or been tied at halftime in 10 of its 16 contests this season. However, the Pirates have been able to win just five of those games and have dropped four straight.
Mixing It Up
Due to injury and various other reasons, head coach Heather Macy has had to submit three different starting lineups in the last five games.
Stay In The Game
Junior Britny Edwards played 39 minutes in the contest against UAB. The last time a Pirate recorded that many minutes played in a non-overtime affair was when Allison Spivey stayed in for all 40 at Southern Miss on Feb. 4, 2010.
Guards And Rebounds
Senior guard Bryelle Smith grabbed 10 rebounds in the C-USA opener at UCF, becoming the first backcourt player to reach double figures on the glass since Ashley Clarke corralled 12 at Houston on Feb. 13, 2011.
Outworking The Nationally Ranked
The Pirates have faced nationally-ranked squads in North Carolina and Delaware the last few weeks. ECU was able to out-score the Tar Heels and Blue Hens for a half in each contest. East Carolina built a 35-32 halftime cushion against North Carolina before out-scoring Delaware 30-25 in the second half of the squads' battle in College Park, Md.
Home Is Where The Wins Are
With a victory against Monmouth, ECU tied the longest home winning streak in program history at 12 before falling to VCU to snap the string. The Pirates last won 12-straight contests at Minges Coliseum during the 2009-10 campaign, beginning with the first game of the season and ending with a close five-point loss to eventual C-USA champion Tulane.
Plenty Of Time Remaining To Climb The Standings
After dropping its first three C-USA games last season, East Carolina rebounded to finish with a 9-7 league mark and finish in a tie for fourth in the league standings.
Where Are The Points?
To say that the Pirates' 44-39 setback to UAB was a defensive struggle might even be an understatement. East Carolina held the Blazers to the fourth-lowest point total by a Conference USA opponent. However, conversely, it was the fewest points ever scored by ECU against a C-USA foe.
Double-Trouble, Freshman Style
With her double-double (11 points, 11 rebounds) against St. Andrew's, freshman forward Tatiana Chapple is the first ECU player to record a double-double in her rookie season since Jean Best scored 19 points and grabbed 13 rebounds versus UCF on Feb. 15, 2009.
Conference USA: The 11th Season
East Carolina is in its 11th 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). The Pirates 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 At Minges
ECU is on quite a recent tear when playing at Minges Coliseum, having won 12 of their last 14 overall and seven of the last eight in conference play. Going even further back, the Pirates have captured 38 of the last 49 contests in Greenville.
The Starting 10
It seems like the Pirate bench gets deeper with each passing season and is an extension of the starting five. East Carolina's bench has outscored its opponents' reserves in 85 of the last 109 contests.
When Making 30...
East Carolina converted 47 field goals against St. Andrew's, marking the 29th time since the start of the 2006-07 campaign that the Pirates have made 30 or more baskets in a single game.
Three Me
With five (5) three-point field goals drained at Memphis, East Carolina has made at least two triples in 58-straight games.
Up Next For East Carolina
ECU returns to the road for its next contest as the Pirates face the Mustangs Sunday, Jan. 22, in Dallas. Tipoff at Moody Coliseum is scheduled for 1 p.m.
