Pirates Open C-USA Slate At UCF
January 03, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 3, 2012
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| East Carolina at UCF Jan. 5, 2012 | 7 p.m. ET Orlando, Fla. (UCF Arena) TV: None |
 Watch Online |  |  Game Notes |  Tickets |  Gameday Central |
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ORLANDO, Fla. - With its non-conference schedule completed, East Carolina begins the race for the 2012 Conference USA regular season championship Thursday, Jan. 5 with a matchup at defending league champion UCF. Tipoff at the UCF Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. ECU has not won in Orlando since the 2007-08 campaign.
The Pirates enter league action with a 6-7 overall record, the same mark it had through 13 games last season. ECU would recover from a 1-3 start to the C-USA schedule to post a 9-7 ledger and tie for fourth place.
The Pirates look to snap a four-game skid, a tough stretch which has included contests against nationally-ranked squads North Carolina and Delaware as well as two-time defending MEAC champion Hampton. The Blue Hens represent the top ranked team in the first NCAA RPI rankings which were released Tuesday.
ECU suffered a 76-48 setback against Hampton in its last outing Monday at the HU Convocation Center. Senior Chareya Smith netted 13 points to lead ECU offensively and freshman Tatiana Chapple corralled a team-best seven rebounds.
The Lady Pirates held the upper hand over East Carolina in shooting percentage, nailing 48 percent of their tries from the field as compared to 37 percent for ECU. Hampton also enjoyed a healthy rebounding advantage at 40-29 with 15 offensive boards to its credit. The visiting Pirates were plagued by 20 turnovers, which allowed the Lady Pirates to score 16 second chance points.
Meanwhile, the Knights enter league play with a 5-7 overall record and have dropped two-straight contests. UCF most recently fell to Florida State by a 60-47 count at home last Friday.
Senior point guard Aisha Patrick recorded her fourth double-double of the season with 11 points and 13 rebounds and added two assists and two steals before fouling out with 27 seconds remaining. Freshman guard Andrea Hines gave the Knights some scoring punch in the second half, sinking two 3-pointers to finish with 14 points.
Junior guard Gevenia Carter chipped in 12 points for UCF, which shot 23.4 percent from the floor and made just three of 13 shots from behind the arc.
The teams split last year's games with each squad winning on its home floor. ECU captured a 65-58 victory at Minges Coliseum before the Knights returned the favor with a 69-52 triumph at the UCF Arena.
THE SERIES: UCF
East Carolina and UCF meet for the 13th time in a series that began in 2006 - the Knights' first year in Conference USA. ECU owns a 9-3 lead overall and has split the last six contests with UCF.
CONFERENCE USA OPENERS
The Pirates are looking to build on their recent success in Conference USA openers, having won three of the last five. ECU holds a 6-4 mark in CUSA lidlifters, but dropped an 89-80 decision to UTEP in El Paso last season.
PLAYING NO. 1
Although the respective national polls put Delaware 19th and 20th, the first NCAA RPI report has the Blue Hens as the No. 1 team in the nation - a squad which East Carolina outscored 30-25 in the second half of their tilt at the Terrapin Classic at the University of Maryland.
THREE ME
With two three-point field goals drained at Hampton, East Carolina has made at least one triple in 55-straight games. The Pirates have knocked down two or more treys in each contest of the streak.
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.
2012 CONFERENCE USA CHAMPIONSHIP
The 2012 edition of the league tournament is scheduled for March 7-10 at the Elma Roane Fieldhouse and FedExForum in Memphis, Tenn. All 12 conference squads will compete in the event, with the winner taking the league's automatic bid to the 2012NCAA Tournament. Last season, No. 2 seed UCF swept through UAB, Memphis and Tulane to claim the title. The Knights later fell to Ohio State on the Buckeyes' home court in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.
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 83 of the last 106 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.
UP NEXT FOR EAST CAROLINA
ECU returns home Sunday, Jan. 8 for matchup with UAB. Tipoff at Minges Coliseum is slated for 2 p.m. It will be the first home game for the Pirates since a Dec. 7 tilt with VCU.
