ECU Hosts Florida Atlantic in Conference USA Opener
January 07, 2014 | Women's Basketball
Jan. 7, 2014
| Game 14: Florida Atlantic at East Carolina | |
| Date | Wednesday, January 8 |
| Time | 7:00 p.m. (ET) |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. | Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum |
| Live Game Coverage | Gametracker (Live Stats) | Live Video |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  | Florida Atlantic |
| 2013-14 Women's Basketball Statistics | East Carolina | Florida Atlantic |
| ECU Women's Basketball Central | Gameday Central | Roster | Fact Book |
The Game
The East Carolina women's basketball team kicks off Conference USA action Wednesday, January 8, when the Pirates welcome Florida Atlantic to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. Tip off is slated for 7 p.m.
The Series
The Pirates and the Owls will meet for the third time in program history and ECU leads the all-time series 2-0. In both previous contests, the two teams meet on neutral ground first at the Atlanta Marriott Northwest Classic in 2002, then at the Bahamas Sunsplash Shootout in 2008. In the first meeting in Atlanta, ECU defeated Florida Atlantic 86-78. In the most recent pairing, the Pirates edged the Owls 68-63.
Last Time Out
East Carolina is coming off of a 64-55 win at College of Charleston last Thursday. The victory gave the Pirates a 12-1 record on the year to mark their best non-conference start since the 1972-73 season. ECU was led by redshirt sophomore Jada Payne who notched her third double-double of the season with a game-high 26 points and 11 rebounds. She was 8-for-12 from the field and a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line. Redshirt junior Abria Trice contributed 15 points, five boards and one steal, while redshirt junior post Ondrea Shaw tallied a game-high five blocks, seven rebounds, three steals, and three points. The defensively charged match saw the Pirates limit College of Charleston to just 22.9-percent in the second half while not allowing the Cougars to connect on a three-point field goals as they went 0-for-6 from beyond the arc. East Carolina led by as many as 23 (61-38) in the game, but College of Charleston slowly chipped away at the Pirates' lead and managed to cut it down to nine (64-55) as the clock expired.
About the Pirates
East Carolina is riding a four-game winning streak and has put together a 12-1 record to mark the best start since the 1972-73 season. With a winning percentage of 92.3, the Pirates are receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches' Top 25 Poll. As a team, ECU is shooting 42.5-percent from the field which ranks second in Conference USA. The Pirates are outscoring their opponents 76.4 points per game to 58.3 for a league-leading scoring margin of +18.1. East Carolina owns the advantage in rebounding as the Pirates average 42.4 boards per game, while limiting their counterparts to 34.8 for a rebounding margin of +7.5 which leads C-USA. The defensively charged Pirates also lead the conference in blocks per game with 5.5 and are second in the league with 12.3 steals per contest. Redshirt sophomore Jada Payne is the team's leading scorer as she averages 22.2 points per game which is good for third in the league. Payne also leads the Pirates in rebounding with an average of 7.3 boards per game to rank 13th in C-USA. The Hickory, N.C., owns a three-point field goal percentage of 47.8 which ranks her eighth in the NCAA and first in the conference. Redshirt junior guard Abria Trice is ECU's second leading scorer with 15.9 points per game. She also contributes 3.9 rebounds per game, a team-best 23 steals, 16 assists and eight blocks. Redshirt junior post Ondrea Shaw has been key on defense for East Carolina as she leads the team and conference with 3.1 blocks per game. Her blocks per game average is also good for 11th in the nation. Shaw is second on the team with 6.2 rebounds per game, while adding 2.8 points per game and 14 steals.
Scouting the Owls
Florida Atlantic brings a 10-3 record into Minges Coliseum as well as a three-game winning streak. The Owls have been very successful at home compiling a 5-0 record as they have not lost a game in Boca Raton, Fla. FAU leads Conference USA in scoring offense as the Owls average 80.3 points per game. However, Florida Atlantic has surrendered 69.7 points per game which is second to last in the league. The Owls are solid from three-point range as they average 7.6 three-pointers made per game to lead the conference. Additionally, the Owls force their opponents into 24.3 turnovers per game, while only turning the ball over 14.1 time per game for a turnover margin of +10.2 which leads C-USA. FAU has three double-figure scorers in Chenise Miller (13.4 points per game), Latavia Dempsey (12.1 points per game) and Takia Brooks (11.5 points per game). Miller also leads the squad in rebounds with 7.0 per contest, while adding 16 assists, 14 steals and a team-leading 13 blocks.
Home Sweet Home
Last season, ECU closed out the year with an impressive 14-1 record while playing at Minges Coliseum. After starting the 2013-14 season with a 7-0 record in Greenville, the Pirates have extended their home winning streak to 20 games. East Carolina has not lost a home match in more than a year as the last time the Pirates were defeated inside Minges Coliseum was on November 17, 2012 when they dropped a 72-62 decision to College of Charleston.
In the Nation
In the NCAA's weekly national statistical rankings East Carolina is ranked in the top 50 in 10 categories. The Pirates are eighth in the nation in steals per game as they average 12.3. Additionally, ECU is tied for 16th in win-loss percentage (92.3). The Pirates also rank 17th in blocked shots per game (5.5), 22nd in scoring margin (+18.1), 28th in field goal percent defense (35.0), 32nd in free throw percentage (74.8), and 34th in scoring defense (58.3). The Pirates also rank 40th in turnover margin (+3.9), 44th in rebound margin (+7.5) and 46th in scoring offense (76.4).
Getting Defensive
A defensively strong team, East Carolina has limited its opponents to 58.3 points per game, while averaging 76.4 points per game for a scoring margin of +18.1. The Pirates' scoring margin leads the league while their scoring defense ranks second in C-USA. The marks are also ranked 22nd and 34th in the NCAA, respectively. Additionally, the Pirates have collected 160 steals to average 12.3 per game to rank second in the conference and rank eighth in the nation. ECU has also forced their counterparts into 296 turnovers to average 22.8 per game for a turnover margin of +3.9 which is good for fourth in the league. The Pirates have also put up 71 blocks to average 5.5 per game which leads the league and ranks 17th in the nation.
Thanks For the Assistance
The Pirates have dished out 178 assists this season to average 13.7 per game which ranks eighth in Conference USA. Junior guard Janesha Ebron is the team-leader with 62 helpers on the year to average 4.8 per game which ranks her fifth in the conference. She also is second in C-USA with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.14.
Pouring In The Points
The Pirates have a pair of double-figure scorers in redshirt sophomore forward Jada Payne and redshirt junior guard Abria Trice. Payne leads the Pirates with 22.2 points per game, while Trice averages 15.9. Their averages rank third and 11th, respectively, in the conference. As a team, ECU owns a scoring offense of 76.4 to rank fourth in the league and 46th in the nation, while the Pirates limit their opponents to 58.3 points per game for a scoring margin of +18.1 which leads the conference and ranks 22nd in the NCAA.
Cleaning Up The Glass
The Pirates have accumulated 551 rebounds to average 42.4 per game to rank fourth in Conference USA. In holding their opponents to 34.8 rebounds per game, the Pirates own a rebounding margin of +7.5 which leads C-USA and is good for 44th in the nation. Redshirt sophomore forward Jada Payne is the Pirates' leader in rebounding as she averages 7.3 boards per game. Her average ranks her in the top 15 in the conference.
Pirates Plunder, Pillage, and Steal
Like their namesake, the Pirates are known for steals. ECU has grabbed 160 steals this season to average 12.3 per game which is good for second in Conference USA and ranks eighth in the NCAA. The Pirates have forced their opponents into 22.8 turnovers per game and own a turnover margin of +3.9 which ranks fourth in the league and 40th in the nation. Redshirt junior guard Abria Trice leads the Pirates with 23 steals.
Block Party
ECU has put up 71 blocks to average 5.5 per game which leads Conference USA statistics and is good for 17th in the nation. The Pirates have limited their opponents to 2.8 blocks per game on the year. Junior post Ondrea Shaw leads the team with 40 blocks for an average of 3.08 blocks per game which leads the conference and ranks her 11th in the NCAA.
C-USA Freshman of the Week
On Monday, December 16, freshman guard J'Kyra Brown earned her first-ever Conference USA Freshman of the Week honor for her performance at the ULM Warhawk Classic. Brown helped the Pirates to a 1-1 record and an appearance in the Warhawk Classic championship game after averaging 10.5 points per game, 2.5 rebounds per game, 1.0 assists per game, 0.5 steals per game, and 0.5 blocks per game. She finished the weekend shooting 53.8-percent from the field, 57.1-percent from beyond the arc, and was 3-for-3 from the free throw line. Brown poured in 18 points in the Pirates' 85-42 victory over Alcorn State last Friday to secure ECU's place in the championship contest. She earned the honors along with Takia Brooks of Florida Atlantic and Tamara Jones of Southern Miss who took home Co-Player of the Week accolades. Brown is the first Pirate to collect the award this season.
ECU in C-USA
As a team, East Carolina ranks in the top five in 16 of 21 Conference USA statistical categories this season. ECU leads the league in seven categories. The Pirates lead the conference in scoring margin (+18.1), field goal percent defense (42.5), rebounding defense (34.8), rebounding margin (+7.5), blocked shots per game (5.5), offensive rebounds (17.2), and offensive rebound percentage (44.7).
Pirates in C-USA
Four Pirates have found themselves ranked in the top 20 in Conference USA individual statistics this year. Redshirt sophomore forward Jada Payne leads the league in three-point field goal percentage as she is shooting 47.8-percent from beyond the arc. She is also the league-leader in three-point field made per game with 2.5. Payne ranks third in the conference in scoring with 22.2 points per game, second in free throw percentage (88.7), eighth in field goal percentage (51.1), 10th in offensive rebounds per game (2.9) and 13th in rebounds per game (7.3). Redshirt junior post Ondrea Shaw is the league-leader in blocks per game with 3.1, while junior guard Janesha Ebron is second in the league in assist to turnover ratio (2.1) and fifth in assists per game (4.8). Rounding out the Pirates who rank in C-USA statistics is reshirt junior guard Abria Trice who is ranked 10th in free throw percentage (83.1), 11th in field goal percentage (50.0) and 11th in scoring with 15.9 points per game.
The "New" Conference USA
Conference USA was one of the many conferences that saw realignments over the summer. July 1, 2013 marked the addition of Charlotte, FIU, Florida Atlantic, LA Tech, Middle Tennessee, North Texas, Old Dominion, and UTSA to C-USA. While the conference expanded with the eight new member institutions, it also parted ways with Houston, Memphis, SMU and UCF as all four joined the American Athletic Conference. 2013 will mark the last year of ECU's affiliation with Conference USA as the Pirates will join the American Athletic Conference beginning next season.
Notables
• Senior post Ariana Jackson will be out for the season due to an injury.
Coming Up...
East Carolina travels to Miami, Fla., for a conference match up at Florida International on Saturday, January 11. Tip off is set for 6 p.m. The game will be live streamed on FIUSports.com.
