Pirates Going For Two Straight Wins Hosting SMU
February 01, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 1, 2012
 vs.  |
| East Carolina vs. SMU Feb. 1, 2012 | 7 p.m. EST Greenville, N.C. TV: None |
 Watch |  Live Stats |  Game Notes |  Tickets |  Gameday Central |
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THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME
? East Carolina will look to win its first Conference USA game of the season at home on Wednesday night. The Pirates earned their first league triumph Saturday with a 73-66 victory on the road against UAB.
?The Pirates are 0-3 at home in conference play this season, while SMU is 1-3 in league road games, posting a 57-55 win over Tulsa.
?East Carolina is just 1-2 against the Mustangs inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum, scoring their lone win in 2008.
?ECU Head Coach Jeff Lebo is 2-0 against his fellow UNC alums and letterwinners this season. The Pirates defeated Appalachian State coached by Jason Capel (UNC `05) and UNC Greensboro under the direction of Wes Miller (UNC `07). SMU coach Matt Doherty is a 1984 graduate of the University of North Carolina.
?The Pirates will be looking to end a two-game losing streak to the Mustangs. SMU has won each of the last two meetings by five points.
?East Carolina shot a season-high 59.5 percent from the floor on Saturday, marking just the second time it has made over half its field goal attempts in conference play. The Pirates have shot better than 50 percent in consecutive games just once this season (vs. Virginia-Wise and Southern Miss).
?ECU shot over 50 percent from behind the arc for the third time this year on Saturday at UAB, matching its second-best percentage of the season (.583). The Pirates are 5-1 this year when shooting over 40 percent behind the arc.
?More than three players scored double digits for the first time since Dec. 29 against N.C. Central on Saturday night against UAB as the Pirates put four players in doubles figures against the Blazers. ECU has won five of seven games this year when four or more Pirates scoring double figures.
PIRATES TO WATCH
? Senior Darrius Morrow needs one point to move into sole possession of fifth-place on the school's all-time scoring list. He has tallied 1,368 points in 112 career games and is currently 117 points shy of fourth-place on the scoring chart. Morrow has scored double figures in 12 of the last 13 games, shooting 55.3 percent from the floor (73-of-132).
?Junior Maurice Kemp returned to the starting lineup Saturday and scored double figures for the first time since being taken out of the first five two games ago. Kemp is averaging 13.3 points as a starter and 6.3 off the bench.
?Junior Miguel Paul ranks second overall in the conference in scoring. He is averaging 17.9 points per game in C-USA play, third-best in the league. Paul is also averaging a conference best 3.1 3-pointers per game in conference play.
?Junior Erin Straughn has scored double figures in each of the last three games, marking just the first time in his career that he's scored double figures in three straight games.
SERIES HISTORY
? SMU leads the all-time series 5-2. The Pirates have lost each of the last two meetings in the series and are 1-2 against the Mustangs inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
LAST TIME WE MET
? SMU did not allow a field goal for the final 14 minutes against East Carolina in Dallas last season, outscoring the Pirates 23-6 during that span to rally for a 46-41 victory. East Carolina led 35-23 after Jontae Sherrod's 3-pointer with 14:02 remaining, but missed its final 13 field goal attempts and turned the ball over nine times during that stretch. The Pirates got their only points during that span on six free-throw attempts, and shot just 25.5 percent from the field for the game. Following a pair of free throws by Chad Wynn, the Pirates held and 11-point lead with 10:57 remaining. Robert Nyakundi then made a 3-pointer for SMU, which scored five unanswered to pull within four, 37-33, with 6:52 to play. After Brock Young made two free throws to push the ECU lead back to six, Dia scored four straight points before Mike Walker drained a 3-pointer with 2:35 remaining to give the Mustangs the lead for good. The Pirates went nearly five minutes without scoring, yet only trailed by one after Jontae Sherrod made two free throws with 1:44 to play. SMU turned the ball over on its ensuing possession giving the Pirates a chance to go ahead, but they could not take advantage. ECU had two shots to go-ahead or tie in the the final minute, but couldn't find the basket. Young had 15 points for East Carolina, which was held to its lowest point since a 74-40 loss to Clemson on Dec. 29, 2004. Erin Straughn tied his career-high with 12 rebounds. Papa Dia had 13 points, including 11 in the second half, and 13 rebounds to lead SMU. Walker added 12 points and Jeremiah Samarrippas had 10. ECU held SMU to just 19 points in the first half and 30.4 percent shooting. However, the Pirates scored just 16 points after halftime and made just 15.8 percent of their field goal attempts (3-19).
DISCOUNTED TICKETS
? Tickets in sections 202-204 and 210-212 will be available for $5.
UP NEXT
? The Pirates will also be home Saturday, Feb. 4 against Rice at 5 p.m.
