Women's Hoops Hosts College of Charleston in Home Opener
November 18, 2014 | Women's Basketball
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The Pirates and Cougars are tied, 3-3, in their all-time series, while ECU came away with a 64-55 road win in last season's meeting. East Carolina (2-0) began the season by picking up a pair of decisive victories at the URI Invitational in Kingston, R.I., including an 83-68 win over Fairfield last Friday, before dismantling host Rhode Island, 66-38, the following day.
College of Charleston (0-2) suffered a 68-61 road loss in its season-opener at Kennesaw State last Friday and dropped its home opener, 70-68, on a last-second shot by UNC Greensboro on Sunday afternoon.
GRAY GETS GREEN LIGHT
Junior DeVaughn Gray had one of the most memorable ECU debuts in the Pirates' season-opening victory over Fairfield at the URI Invitational when she scored a game-high 25 points on 9-for-13 shooting and tied the program record with seven 3-pointers on just eight attempts. She shot a perfect 4-for-4 from distance in the second half. The seven treys tied Misty Horne (1998 vs. Norfolk State) and Justine Allpress (1996 vs. Hampton) for the most in a game. She followed up that performance by making two more shots from beyond the arc the following day, en route to scoring 14 points and grabbing eight rebounds in a 66-38 win at Rhode Island.
BLOCKBUSTER
Senior post player Ondrea Shaw tied her career-high with seven blocked shots in the 66-38 blowout of Rhode Island on Nov. 15. She also posted seven blocks at Bethune Cookman on Dec. 29, 2013. The Los Angeles native 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 at 3.26 per game, which ranked ninth. Shaw began the year fifth on the school's all-time list and is now just 104 rejections away from setting the school record.
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 (.933). The only teams with higher rates are Dayton (1.000), Notre Dame (.969), Chattanooga (.963), Baylor (.949) and Connecticut (.935).
PIRATES PICKED THIRD IN AMERICAN ATHLETIC 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.
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.
UP NEXT
East Carolina will remain at home to take on Delaware on Friday, Nov. 21 at 11:30 a.m., before hosting Bethune Cookman at 2 p.m., Sunday.
