Pirates Look To End Slide Against Southern Miss
January 25, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Jan. 25, 2012
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| East Carolina vs. Southern Miss Jan. 25, 2012 | 7 p.m. EST Greenville, N.C. TV: None |
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THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME
? East Carolina will look to end several losing streaks on Wednesday. The Pirates have lost five in a row overall, six straight to Southern Miss and each of their last two home games.
?East Carolina will look to avoid starting 0-6 in Conference USA for the fourth time in school history. The Pirates lost their first 13 league games in 2007, first eight in 2004 and first six in 2005.
?The Pirates haven't shot over 40 percent from field in any game since shooting 52.2 percent against Southern Miss on January 4.
?The Pirates shot a combined 31.2 percent (20-64) from behind the 3-point arc during its two-game swing through Texas (at UTEP, at Houston). They were also out-rebounded by a combined tally of 87-53.
?Since league play began, East Carolina is shooting 77.6 percent (59-76) at the free throw line which is tops in the league. The Pirates are averaging 67.6 points in conference play, second only to Memphis (68.2).
?East Carolina has held the lead of a grand total of 1:08 in conference play. The Pirates held the lead three times against UTEP after not leading in any of their first three games. They trailed the entire 40 minutes Saturday against Houston.
?After holding its opponents to less than 30 points in 14 of 26 halves during non-conference play, ECU has yet to surrender fewer than 30 points in any half during C-USA games.
WHO TO WATCH
? Senior Darrius Morrow has scored double figures in 10 of the last 11 games, averaging 14.2 points per game and shooting 52.3 percent from the floor (56-of-107).
?Junior Maurice Kemp had his 10-game double figure scoring streak snapped Saturday at Houston, scoring just nine points. Kemp is averaging 14.2 points over the last 11 games.
?Junior Miguel Paul leads Conference USA in assists per game (5.5) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.5). He has gone for 20 or more points six times this season and handed out more assists than committed turnovers in 16 games.
?Junior Shamarr Bowden scored double figures for the first time in league play with 12 points against Houston on Saturday. He went 4-of-7 from behind the arc after going a combined 2-of-18 in the first four C-USA games.
?Freshman Paris Roberts-Campbell seems to have found his stroke over the semester break. He has made 12-of-25 3-pointers during the past seven games, scoring double figures twice. He netted 10 points against N.C. Central before torching the nets for 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting against Virginia-Wise, sinking a trio of 3-pointers.
SERIES HISTORY
? Southern Miss leads the all-time series, 11-7. The Golden Eagles have won six straight against the Pirates and 11 of the last 12.
LAST TIME WE MET
? LaShay Page scored 20 points and Darnell Dodson added 17 to push Southern Mississ past East Carolina 78-76 in the Conference USA opener for both teams Wednesday night. The Golden Eagles never trailed, but had to fight off a late East Carolina rally sparked by Pirates forward Darrius Morrow, who scored 12 of his game-high 23 points in the second half. Southern Miss won the rebounding battle 35-25, including three out of the four rebounds after the 1:28 mark in the second half when East Carolina was making its push. Torye Pelham, then Rashard McGill pulled down rebounds after teammates missed the front end of two 1-and-1 opportunities in the final minute. Miguel Paul scored 19 for East Carolina, including a final free throw that pulled the Pirates within two with 2.8 seconds left, but Pelham rebounded his intentional miss and cleared it out as time expired.
MORROW JOINS THE 700 CLUB
? Senior Darrius Morrow grabbed his 700th career rebound on Jan. 21 against Houston, becoming the 10th player in school history to achieve that milestone. He has 701 career rebounds through 110 games played.
UP NEXT
? East Carolina will travel to Birmingham this weekend for its first of two meetings against UAB. Tip-off is slated for 8 p.m. EST on Saturday, Jan. 28. The Blazers will make the return trip to Greenville on Feb. 25.
