ECU Hosts UNC Asheville In Intrastate Contest
November 15, 2014 | Men's Basketball
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| East Carolina vs. UNC Asheville Nov. 16, 2014 | 2 p.m. EST Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum | Greenville, N.C. |
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Setting The Scene
? After posting a 99-81 win over N.C. Wesleyan on Friday night, East Carolina returns to the hardwood Sunday afternoon against instate foe UNC Asheville, who suffered an 80-69 loss at Wake Forest on Friday.
? The Pirates are once again expected to be without the services of senior Paris Roberts-Campbell and junior Michael Zangari due to injury.
? East Carolina is looking to start the season 2-0 for the third consecutive season and for the fourth time in five years under coach Jeff Lebo.
? The Pirates have won five of the eight meetings against its cross-state opponent, including four of six meetings in Greenville.
? ECU and UNC Asheville are meeting for the second consecutive season. The two played in the consolation round of the NIT Season Tip-Off last year with the Pirates holding on for an 81-70 win.
? The Pirates are 20-4 at home against instate opponents under coach Jeff Lebo. They are 25-10 overall versus their Old North State foes with a combined 5-6 mark on the road and at neutral sites.
? Six newcomers made their ECU debut Friday night: Kanu Aja, Grant Bryant, Michel Nzege, Lance Tejada, B.J. Tyson and Terry Whisnant. They combined to score 62 points on 19 of 39 shooting.
? The Pirates open the season with three straight home games. Sunday's game against UNC Asheville is sandwiched between home dates with N.C. Wesleyan and Virginia University of Lynchburg, which will visit Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Thursday, Nov. 20.
? UNC Asheville is the second of five instate opponents ECU will face this season. In addition to home games against N.C. Wesleyan and UNC Asheville, the Pirates will also host UNC Greensboro while traveling to North Carolina and UNC Wilmington in December.
? East Carolina is 49-25 at home under coach Jeff Lebo. The Pirates are 28-6 under his direction in non-conference regular season games.
? Sunday's game against UNC Asheville is the Pirates' first of six games that will be broadcast on ESPN3 this season. ECU also has an additional 18 games that will be broadcast on either CBS Sports Network, ESPNEWS or ESPNU.
? The 2014-15 campaign is coach Jeff Lebo's fifth at ECU, tying him with Earl Smith (1945-46. `59-63) and Charlie Harrison (1982-87) as the third-most tenured coach in the history of the program.
Leftovers From The N.C. Wesleyan Win
? East Carolina won its season-opener for the 15th consecutive season and its home opener for the 13th straight year.
? The Pirates had five players score in double figure for the first time since Jan. 30, 2014 at Middle Tennessee State (Tyson 22, Nzege 18, Guilmette 14, Whisnant 14, White 14).
? ECU was credited with 17 steals, second-most in school history.
? Seven players played more than 20 minutes, but none played over 25.
? B.J. Tyson's 22 points were the most by an ECU freshman in his debut since the Pirates gave up their independent status in 1981.
? Michel Nzege became the first Pirate since Darrell Jenkins to post a double-double in his ECU debut.
Last Meeting With UNC Asheville
? East Carolina defeated UNC Asheville, 81-70, during the consolation round of the 2013 NIT Season Tip-Off in Kingston, R.I.
? Junior Paris Roberts-Campbell led five players in double figures with 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting, including 4-of-6 from outside the arc. Prince Williams had 19 points, making 9-of-10 free throws. Caleb White and Michael Zangari added 10 points each along with departed senior Akeem Richmond.
? The Pirates, who trailed for a grand total of 15 seconds, built an 18-point first half lead and held a 13-point advantage at halftime, 40-27.
? ECU built a 72-52 advantage with 4:05 remaining. UNC Asheville managed to cut the 20-point deficit to eight after scoring 12 straight points with 1:30 left to play.
? The Pirates shot 48.4 percent from the field compared to 37.1 percent by the Bulldogs. ECU made 20 free throws (20-27), while UNCA attempted only 14 (11-14).
