Pirate Women's Basketball Tips Season at URI Invitational
November 13, 2014 | Women's Basketball
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GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina women's basketball team will begin its 2014-15 campaign Friday evening at the URI Invitational in Kingston, R.I., when the Pirates take on Fairfield. Opening tip is scheduled for 2 p.m., at the Thomas M. Ryan Center.
EAST CAROLINA OPENS 2014-15 CAMPAIGN IN RHODE ISLAND
East Carolina opens the book on its 2014-15 campaign at the URI Invitational where it will take on Fairfield in the season opener at 2 p.m. at the Thomas M. Ryan Center in Kingston, R.I. The Pirates and Stags will collide for the first time since 1998, while Fairfield leads the all-time series, 2-1. The last time the two teams met was at the Fairfield/Warner Classic on Nov. 27, 1998, where ECU claimed an 82-76 road victory.
PIRATES PICKED THIRD IN AMERICAN CONFERENCE
East Carolina was picked to finish third in the American Athletic Conference preseason poll after a vote by the league's head coaches. Topping the poll was UConn with 100 points and 10 first-place votes, while USF was picked to finish second with 91 points. The Pirates accumulated 72 points, while Temple and Tulane both received 67 in a tie for fourth place.
PAYNE'S PRESEASON PRAISE
Redshirt junior guard Jada Payne was one of 10 players named to the Preseason All-American Athletic Conference Team, earning a second team nod in a vote conducted by the league's head coaches. The Hickory, N.C., native averaged 18.4 points and 7.5 rebounds during her first campaign at ECU in 2013-14 and earned All-Conference USA First Team honors.
AN EXPERIENCED UNIT
ECU returns all five of its starters from its 2013-14 team that won 22 games. Senior guard Janesha Ebron and senior forward Tatiana Chapple, both three-year starters, have lined up for the opening tip in more than 90 games during their careers, respectively. Redshirt senior guard/forward Abria Trice, senior post player Ondrea Shaw and redshirt junior guard Jada Payne each started at least 28 of the team's 31 contests last season, while senior forward Shae Nelson played 27 games last season and averaged 11 points per game off the bench.
A NEW ERA
The 2014-15 campaign marks East Carolina's first as a member of the American Athletic Conference. The Pirates spent the last 13 seasons in Conference USA and join a league that begins its second year and features teams with whom ECU has never faced, including Temple and reigning national champion Connecticut.
ENTERING THE NATIONAL SPOTLIGHT
Complementing ECU's entrance into the spotlight of NCAA women's basketball with its memership in The American Athletic Conference, the Pirates will make numerous national television appearances this season. Nine games will be broadcast across ESPN networks, include two contests on ESPNU, with seven more on ESPN 3. Both meetings with Connecticut will be aired by SNY.
NEXT UP...
East Carolina will conclude play in the URI Invitational Saturday, Nov. 15, when it takes on host, Rhode Island at 3 p.m.
DEFENSE AMONG NATION'S BEST
The Pirates were among the best in NCAA Division I women's basketball last season in several major defensive categories, ranking 11th in steals per game (10.7), 15th in blocked shots per game (5.3) and 15th in 3-point field goal defense (.271). ECU also ranked in the top 50 in field goal percentage defense (35th), rebounding margin (43rd) and scoring margin (50th).
BLOCKBUSTER
Senior post player Ondrea Shaw broke the single-season school record with 101 blocked shots during her initial season with the Pirates in 2013-14. She established herself among the nation's top shot-blockers with 3.26 per game, which ranked ninth. Shaw begins the year fifth on the school's all-time list and just 111 rejections away from setting the school record.
DROPPING DIMES
Senior point guard Janesha Ebron established herself among the nation's top point guards during her junior season in 2013-14, as she ranked 35th in all of NCAA Division I in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.14, which would have ranked third in the American Athletic Conference. She also concluded the year 52nd in assists per game at 5.0. She dished out a career-high nine dimes on five different occasions and led the Pirates in assists in 24 of the team's 31 contests.
holding down the home court
East Carolina has one of the highest winning percentages and win totals in home games over the last two seasons. Including a 26-game winning streak that began in November 2012, the Pirates have posted back-to-back 14-1 records inside Minges Coliseum, while just 11 teams have posted more home wins since the start of the 2012-13 season ECU also has the sixth-highest home winning percentage during that span.
FREE THROW LINE: A COMFORT ZONE FOR TRICE AND PAYNE
Not only were they frequent visitors to the free throw line in 2013-14, but Jada Payne and Abria Trice made it count when their uncontested opportunities arose. Payne set the school record by hitting 84.3 percent of her free throws, while Trice broke the school record with 128 conversions and posted the third-highest percentage in a single season in program history at an 83.1 percent clip.
NEWCOMERS LOOK TO FILL VOIDS
East Carolina has six new players on its 2014-15 active roster, five of which are junior college transfers. Forwards DeVaughn Gray (Northeastern Oklahoma CC), Chelsie Keys (Coffeyville CC) and I'Tiana Taylor (Weatherford CC) will bring length and athleticism to the front court, while guards Khadijah Ellison (Chipola CC) and Jasmine Phillips (Tennessee) will also see extended minutes. The lone freshman joining the squad is Felecity Havens, a Wilmington, N.C., native.
A BRIGHT FUTURE
After a redshirt program head coach Heather Macy installed two years ago produced a pair of all-conference players in Jada Payne and Abria Trice during their first seasons, four recent additions will hope for the same fortunes while they sit out the 2014-15 campaign due to NCAA transfer rules. Next season, junior guard Khadidja Toure (Oregon State), as well as sophomore forward Gabrielle Holston (Georgia Tech) will complement junior post players Derreyal Youngblood (LSU) and Marina Laramie (Indiana State) as East Carolina's future.
