ECU Wraps Up Season Series With UAB
February 08, 2012 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2012
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| East Carolina at UAB Feb. 9, 2012 | 8:00 p.m. ET Birmingham, Ala. (Bartow Arena) TV: None |
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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - With seven games remaining in the regular season, East Carolina looks to put an end to a number of streaks Thursday against UAB at Bartow Arena. Tipoff with the Blazers is scheduled for 8 p.m.
If the Pirates can pull out a victory in Alabama, they will snap a 13-game slide, notch their first Conference USA win of the year and earn their first true road win of the campaign. The task is tall, however, as UAB is one of the most prolific defensive squads in the nation - limiting opponents to just 48.6 points per game. The Blazers have also racked up a 7-1 record inside their home venue.
In the teams' most recent meeting, earlier this season in Greenville, UAB escaped with a 44-39 victory despite ECU holding the Blazers without a field goal for the final nine minutes of the contest. The Blazers essentially won the game at the foul line, where they were awarded 26 free throw attempts as compared to just five for the Pirates. UAB made good on the tries, knocking down 21 to account for nearly half of its points.
East Carolina is coming off a 67-57 road loss Sunday to Southern Miss, a squad which had knocked off Memphis on the road in the contest prior. Junior Shala Hodges netted 16 points to lead ECU offensively as Chareya Smith and Tatiana Chapple picked up seven rebounds each. The Pirates were held to 31-percent shooting while Southern Miss finished the afternoon at 54 percent from the floor. East Carolina won the rebounding battle 42-33 and produced its best free-throw shooting performance of the season - draining 14 of 15 for 93 percent.
Inside the Matchup
- The Blazers are coming off a 50-45 road win at Marshall Thursday and won for the first time in Huntington since 2008 while improving to 4-1 on the road in conference play. The victory was also UAB's third consecutive.
- Audra Smith is in her eighth season as UAB's head coach and led the Blazers to the WBI championship last season.
- ECU has won two of the last three meetings between the schools at Bartow Arena. After jumping out to a 16-0 lead last year, the Pirates had to survive a furious rally by the home side to pick up a 56-55 win.
- UAB is forcing 21 turnovers per game in league play while East Carolina is averaging 20.8 per outing.
THE SERIES: UAB
East Carolina and UAB meet for the 22nd time in a series that began in 1979 . ECU owns a 13-8 lead overall and has won eight of the last 11 matchups.
CASHING IN ON THE FREEBIES
During the last eight games, ECU's free-throw shooting has improved immensely as the Pirates are at 66 percent in those contests. In the game 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 Jan. 13 of last season.
FINISH THE JOB
East Carolina has had the lead or been tied at halftime in 11 of its 21 contests this season. However, the Pirates have been able to win just five of those games and have dropped five straight.
WHERE ARE THE POINTS?
To say that the Pirates' 44-39 home 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.
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.
THREE ME
With five (5) three-point field goals drained at Southern Miss, East Carolina has made at least two triples in 64-straight games.
UP NEXT FOR EAST CAROLINA
After its contest in Birmingham, East Carolina returns home Sunday, Feb. 12, to face Marshall for the first of two meetings this season. Tipoff at Minges Coliseum is scheduled for 2 p.m.
