East Carolina University
6-1
Wisconsin
1-4
East Carolina Women's Basketball Cruises Past Wisconsin, 61-43
November 28, 2014 | Women's Basketball
FREEPORT, Bahamas - Junior forward I'Tiana Taylor scored 13 points and grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds to lead the East Carolina women's basketball team to a 61-43 victory over Wisconsin at the Junkanoo Jam on Friday evening.
Despite the matchup being the first between East Carolina (6-1) and Wisconsin (1-4) in the all-time series, the win was the first for the Pirates over a team from the Big Ten Conference since defeating Michigan State, 76-72, on Feb. 28, 1982.
Taylor shot 5-for-14 from the floor while grabbing six offensive and 11 defensive boards for her first-career double-double, as redshirt junior Jada Payne scored a game-high 17 points on 7-for-15 shooting overall and 3-for-5 from 3-point range.
East Carolina used great defensive pressure to keep the Badgers out of rhythm and timid with their ball movement from the opening tip, resulting in 13 first-half turnovers. Wisconsin forward Michala Johnson scored the first five points of the game and the team's first seven points, but ECU responded with back-to-back layups by senior point guard Janesha Ebron and Taylor, followed by a pair of jumpers by Payne and senior forward Tatiana Chapple for its first lead of the game, 8-7, with 13:40 remaining in the period.
Trailing 16-15 with 3:33 to go in the half, the Pirates broke out on a 7-0 run ignited by a coast-to-coast layup by junior point guard Khadijah Ellison, a quick steal and layup by Taylor 13 seconds later and a three by Payne with under a minute to go to open up its largest lead of the half at seven. ECU would not surrender the lead for the duration of the game.
Holding a 22-18 advantage at halftime, East Carolina shot 10-for-35 (.286) from the field, while the Badgers shot 8-for-27 (.296), as both teams connected on just one attempt apiece from beyond the arc and combined to shoot just five free throws. Using its defensive instincts, ECU outscored Wisconsin 9-2 off turnovers and 6-0 on fast break baskets through the first 20 minutes of action.
The Pirates scored the first four points of the second half to double its halftime edge, but the Badgers responded with a quick 5-0 rush to come within two at 29-27 with 16:37 remaining. East Carolina would not allow Wisconsin to draw any closer, as it burst out on a 16-3 run over the next five-and-a-half minutes for the first double-digit lead of the game with the score 43-30 and 10:50 left on the clock.
ECU allowed the Badgers to cut their deficit to single digits one more time with nine minutes to go, but the Pirates used their willpower via intense defensive pressure to grow the advantage back to double digits for the remainder of the contest.
The Pirates shot an efficient 13-for-29 (.448) from the field, 4-for-7 (.571) from three and 9-for-11 (.818) from the free throw line in the second half, while holding Wisconsin to just 34-percent shooting overall on the night. ECU also outscored the Badgers 20-4 off the bench and 23-10 off turnovers in the game.
East Carolina will remain on the road for a trip to Cleveland State next Thursday, Dec. 4, followed by a contest at Ohio University on Saturday, Dec. 6. Tip-off for both games is scheduled for 7 p.m.
