Basketball Gameday: at SMU
January 17, 2015 | Men's Basketball
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| East Carolina at SMU Jan. 17, 2015 | 4 p.m. EST Moody Coliseum | Dallas, Texas |
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DALLAS - East Carolina continues its early season road swing through the American Athletic Conference Saturday when it faces SMU inside Moody Coliseum in the heart of Texas. The game will be televised on the CBS Sports Network beginning at 4 p.m. EST.
Fresh off its first-ever American Athletic Conference victory on Wednesday, the Pirates are looking to build off its win over Houston and find success on the road for the first time this season. East Carolina is 0-5 on the road this year, which includes conference losses at USF and Cincinnati.
Despite its 1-3 American ledger, its record could easily be reversed suffering losses to Tulane and USF in games which they were unable to finish off. However, against Houston the Pirates did finish and withstood a late Cougar rally for a 66-61 win.
The Pirates had their 13-point lead cut to one with 35 seconds to play, but they made 4 of 6 free throws during those final seconds to secure the win.
Freshman guard B.J. Tyson posted a team-high 16 points and seven bounds, while sophomore forward Caleb White added 14 points, the final two of which came at free throw line with 4.3 seconds to play.
Tyson has scored double figures in three straight games and is averaging 15.0 points per game over that stretch. He is the team's leading rebounder in conference play with 5.0 boards a night. Junior Terry Whisnant has posted double digit points in a season-long five consecutive games. He's the only player on the team to score double figures in all four American conference games.
ECU's defense limited the Cougars to just 33.9 percent overall after holding them to 21 points and 28.6 percent shooting from the field in the first half. The Pirates kept the league's leading scorer in check, holding Jherrod Stiggers to just five points on 2 of 15 shooting. He was averaging 16.8 points per game.
They will look for a similar defensive performance Saturday against the Mustangs, who have the conference's top field goal percentage team and second-best 3-point shooting squad. Nic Moore leads SMU with 14.3 ppg, while ranking atop the conference leaderboard with a .447 3-point percentage. He also leads the league in free throw percentage at 92.2 percent.
RADIO / TELEVISION
Fans can hear Saturday's game live on the flagship station of the ECU Pirates, WNCT 107.9 FM, with Jeff Charles calling the action and Si Seymour providing analysis. The pregame show begins at 3:30 p.m. Saturday.
Fans also can hear the radio broadcast online by visiting ECUPirates.com and following the appropriate links to Pirates On Demand or by clicking here. A Pirates On Demand subscription is required to listen to the game online.
Fans can watch Saturday's game live on CBS Sports Network with Carter Blackburn calling the play-by-play, Pete Gillen providing analysis and Jenny Dell reporting from the sidelines.
Fans can follow live stats by clicking the GameTracker link at ECUPirates.com or by clicking here.
ABOUT SMUSMu enters Saturday's game on a three-game winning streak with victories in 11 of its last 12 games. The Mustangs own a 13-4 overall record and a 4-1 ledger in the American.
Nic Moore hit the go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:20 left and Markus Kennedy scored 21 points to lead SMU past Temple 60-55 on Wednesday. Moore helped the Mustangs rally back from a 13-point hole in the second half to win their third straight game. Moore buried a jumper that pulled SMU within one and then hit a 3 in front of the bench that sent the fans into a frenzy. The 13-point deficit matched the largest SMU comeback under head coach Larry Brown.
The Mustangs, which were No. 22 in both the preseason polls, have won 11 of their last 12 and are receiving votes in the AP and ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll for the first time since the Nov. 24 poll.
The Mustangs rank among the top 3 in 12 statistical categories in The American. They led the conference in scoring margin, free throw percentage, field goal percentage, rebounding defense, rebounding margin and assists per game.
Guard Nic Moore leads The American in free throw and 3-point field goal percentage and ranks second in assists. He has scored 1,095 points during his career between Illinois State and SMU.
SMU is 22-2 in the renovated Moody Coliseum. The Mustangs have won 28 of their last 30 home games. In the past 30 home games, SMU is averaging 75.1 points per game with a scoring margin of +15.8. SMU is shooting 50.8 percent at home while holding opponents to 37.0 percent.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will be the 10th all-time meeting between the Pirates and Mustangs and first since 2013. It's the only time the two teams are scheduled to meet this season. The Pirates have won two in a row in the series and have a 2-2 record at Moody Coliseum.
Eight of the previous nine games played between ECU and SMU were as Conference USA members. The two met in a non-conference game in 1985 and didn't play again until the Mustangs joined C-USA in 2006. SMU won the first two C-USA meetings, but the Pirates have won four of the last six.
ECU overcame a 17-point deficit to take down the Mustangs during the last meeting between the two teams on Feb. 23, 2013 at Moody Coliseum. Akeem Richmond buried nine 3-pointers, including six straight during a 6:30 stretch of the second half, en route to a 29-point performance.
STAY CONNECTED
Fans can receive the latest news and notes by following @ECUPirateHoops on Twitter. Fans also can discuss the latest ECU Men's Basketball news and notes on the team's Facebook page by clicking LIKE at East Carolina Men's Basketball.
