Pirates Look To Take Down Memphis
February 08, 2012 | Men's Basketball
Feb. 8, 2012
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| East Carolina vs. Memphis Feb. 8, 2012 | 7 p.m. EST Greenville, N.C. TV: CSS |
 Watch |  Live Stats |  Game Notes |  Tickets |  Gameday Central |
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THINGS TO KNOW ABOUT THE GAME
? East Carolina will look to earn its fourth straight Conference USA victory after losing their first six league games of the season. A win would give the Pirates their longest C-USA winning streak during its 11-year membership.
?The game features two of the league's top three scorers. Memphis' Will Barton leads C-USA with 18.4 ppg, while ECU junior Miguel Paul ranks third at 16.0 ppg.
?ECU is 9-5 at home this season and 2-3 against C-USA foes. Memphis is 3-4 on the road this season with league losses at Southern Miss and UCF. The Tigers have C-USA road wins over Houston and UAB.
?After holding the lead for just 11:08 in its first six conference games, East Carolina has been ahead for nearly 89 (88:50) of the last 120 minutes played.
?The Pirates are shooting 71.6 percent at the foul line during league play, a stark contrast to its non-conference free throw shooting percentage of 68 percent. However, the Pirates are shooting just 65.5-percent (36-55) during their current three-game winning streak.
?East Carolina has gotten 65 points off its bench the last three games, compared to 60 points from its reserves in the first six league contests.
?East Carolina has shot a higher percentage from the field in each of its last four games after having its opponent shoot better from the floor in the previous four games. The Pirates made a combined 77-of-150 (.513) field goal attempts in wins over UAB, SMU and Rice.
?The Pirates have the exact same record through 22 games this season as they did a year ago, 12-10.
PIRATES TO WATCH
? Senior Darrius Morrow has scored double figures in 13 of the last 15 games, shooting 57.2 percent from the floor (83-of-145). Morrow is averaging 15.0 ppg in conference play.
?Junior Miguel Paul leads Conference USA in assists per game (5.5) and total assists (121). Paul ranks third in the league in scoring (16.0) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.3).
?Junior Maurice Kemp has scored double figures in 12 of 13 games as a starter this season. He netted double digits in nine straight games before being limited to nine by Houston. Kemp didn't start versus Southern Miss, but returned to the starting against UAB and has scored double figures in each of the last three games.
?Junior Corvonn Gaines is coming off his first double-digit scoring performance of the season, scoring 13 points against Rice on Saturday. Freshman Paris Roberts-Campbell also netted double figures with a Division I-best 13 points.
SERIES HISTORY
? Memphis leads the all-time series 10-1. The Pirates posted their first victory over the Tigers in Minges Coliseum last season, 68-57.
LAST TIME WE MET
? Joe Jackson scored a career-high 24 points as Memphis defeated short-handed East Carolina 76-56 in the semifinals of the Conference USA tournament. Charles Carmouche added 19 points and Will Coleman 11 for the fourth-seeded Tigers (24-9), who face No. 3 seed UTEP in the championship game on Saturday. Darrius Morrow had 25 points and 14 rebounds for No. 8-seeded East Carolina, which was without Brock Young, the C-USA sixth man of the year. The guard was unable to play due to a knee injury suffered against UAB on Thursday. Memphis shot 58.6 percent from the field in the first half and 50.9 percent overall. The Tigers made 12 of 15 attempts from the free-throw line. Jamar Abrams added 12 points for East Carolina.
LAST YEAR IN MINGES
? Jontae Sherrod scored a career-high 28 points while fellow senior Jamar Abrams hit two huge 3-pointers during the decisive second-half run to help the Pirates beat the Tigers 68-57 for the firt time here last season. Abrams scored eight of his 11 points in the final six minutes for the Pirates, ensuring the program would finish with its first winning record since 1997. With the Pirates holding a 49-46 lead with six minutes left, Abrams _ who was just 1-for-5 shooting to that point _ hit a hurried 3-pointer over D.J. Stephens to beat the shot clock and send the home crowd into an ear-ringing roar. Then, after Tarik Black made a free throw, Abrams took a pass, calmly stepped back behind the arc and launched another 3 over Stephens that dropped through the net to push the lead to 55-47 with 5:26 left. Then sophomore Erin Straughn came up with a critical play, grabbing an airballed shot in the paint from Darrius Morrow as the shot clock wound down and kicking it out to Sherrod. The senior got the ball off just before the clock expired and buried the 3, pushing the lead to 58-47 with 4:27 left. The Tigers went just 4-for-16 from 3-point range. The frustration built until Memphis coach Josh Pastner was whistled for a technical foul for arguing with the officials with 1 minute left and the Pirates up 63-54. Antonio Barton scored 15 to lead the Tigers.
DISCOUNTED TICKETS
? Tickets in sections 202-204 and 210-212 will be available for $5.
UP NEXT
? The Pirates return to action Saturday night against Marshall at 7 p.m. The game will be televised throughout eastern North Carolina on WITN.
