East Carolina Hosts UCF For Second Meeting This Season
February 22, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 22, 2012
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| UCF at East Carolina Feb. 23, 2012 | 7:00 p.m. ET Greenville, N.C. (Minges Coliseum) TV: None |
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - With three games remaining on the regular season schedule, East Carolina hosts UCF Thursday evening to complete the season series between the Knights and Pirates. The contest at Minges Coliseum is set to tip at 7 p.m.
UCF captured the first meeting earlier this season in Orlando by a 59-53 count after ECU held a nine-point lead in the second half. Kristine Mial and Chareya Smith paced the ECU offense with 15 points apiece, complemented by a season-high 10-rebound performance by Bryelle Smith. Chareya Smith just missed a double-double as she picked up nine rebounds.
The Knights ended up with a 53-43 advantage on the glass and scored over half of its points in the paint. UCF, despite shooting just 33 percent, were able to put in 18 second-chance points and were awarded 31 foul shots as compared to 15 for the visiting Pirates. Both teams ended up with 14 turnovers with Bryelle Smith plucking a contest-best four steals.
In East Carolina's last outing, the Pirates held as much as an eight-point advantage in the second half but a 26-5 advantage in free throw attempts allowed Tulsa to escape with a 75-70 victory Sunday at the Reynolds Center.
ECU hit 28 of its 48 attempts from the field to shoot a season-best 58 percent while the Hurricane shot 38 percent but put up 63 tries and knocked down 24 field goals. Tulsa dominated the rebounding category, ending with a 39-24 advantage on the glass - including 22 offensive rebounds which turned into 25 important second-chance points.
East Carolina put in a campaign-best 11 three-point field goals and finished with a 55-percent showing from range. Despite some physical defense by the home team, the Pirates finished with just three free throws on the five attempts. Additionally, East Carolina racked up 20 assists with Celeste Stewart responsible for six of the helpers.
Mial netted 14 points to lead the Pirates offensively and was joined in double figures by Chareya Smith (11), Shala Hodges (11) and Stewart (10). Mial also picked up a team-best four rebounds and three steals. With two three-pointers made in the game, she has now hit a triple in 13-straight games.
Inside the Matchup
- UCF enters the game having won three of its last five but suffered a 61-54 loss at home to Memphis Sunday after a furious rally fell short.
- The Knights are 2-6 on the road this season and 2-4 in league contests away from the UCF Arena. The squad did, however, down Southern Miss 74-60 in its most recent road affair at Reed Green Coliseum.
- Senior point guard Aisha Patrick is the force that drives UCF and the Pirates will need to do a much better job defensively on her this time around. In the teams' earlier meeting, she scored a career-high 28 points and grabbed 11 rebounds as well as converted 12 of 15 attempts from the free throw line. ECU will also need to slow down Erika Jones, who posted a whopping 20 rebounds in that same game.
- The Knights own a +5.1 rebounding edge on opponents this year and out-rebounded ECU 53-43 in the first meeting.
THE SERIES: UCF
East Carolina and UCF meet for the 14th time in a series that began in 2006 - the Knights' first year in Conference USA. ECU owns a 9-4 lead overall.
ON THEIR WAY TO SEE THE PIRATES PLAY
The crowd of 3,258 that witnessed the win over Marshall represents the fifth-largest in program history. A throng of 4,500 people, the most to ever watch a women's basketball game at East Carolina showed up on a snowy evening in 1981 as ECU fell to nationally-ranked USC.
FILLING THE HOOP
Since the start of the 2006-07 season, the Pirates have shot 60 percent or better in a half 19 times - including a 73-percent showing in the first half Sunday at Tulsa.
CASHING IN ON THE FREEBIES
After suffering through a dismal stretch at the foul line to begin the season, the Pirates have dramatically improved at the stripe. During the last 12 games, ECU is firing at 67 percent. At Southern Miss, East Carolina knocked down 14 of its 15 attempts from the line for season-best 93 percent - the highest for the Pirates since a 16-for-17 performance at Tulane on Jan. 13 of last season. ECU has also been clutch in the last two minutes of wins over Marshall and Houston, hitting 12 of 15 free throws to seal the victories.
MIAL DIALED IN FROM RANGE
Sophomore Kristine Mial is getting it done from beyond the arc recently. In the last eight games, she has hit 17 three-point field goals, including six in the last two home wins. Currently, Mial owns a 13-game streak of at least one three-pointer made.
EDWARDS CLOSING IN ON BLOCKS TOP 10
Junior Britny Edwards notched a block against Houston to move within six of catching Jean Best for 10th on the single-season list.
FINISH THE JOB
East Carolina has had the lead or been tied at halftime in 13 of its 26 contests this season. However, the Pirates have been able to win just six of those games and have dropped six of the last seven.
SUCCESS AT MINGES
ECU has won 14 of its last 20 overall and nine of the last 14 in conference play at Minges Coliseum. Going even further back, the Pirates have captured 40 of the last 54 contests in Greenville.
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.
THREE ME
With a season-best 11 three-point field goals drained at Tulsa, East Carolina has made at least two triples in 68-straight games.
UP NEXT FOR EAST CAROLINA
The Pirates head to Marshall Sunday, Feb. 26, for their final road game of the regular season. Tipoff at the Cam Henderson Center is scheduled for 1 p.m.
