East Carolina Challenges No. 2 UConn Wednesday Night
January 27, 2015 | Women's Basketball
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HARTFORD, Conn. - Winners in four of its last five games, the East Carolina women's basketball team will take on second-ranked UConn in American Athletic Conference action on Wednesday, Jan. 28 in Hartford, Conn. Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m., at the XL Center and the game will be televised by SportsNet New York (SNY) and broadcast on ESPN3.
In the first-ever meeting between the two programs back on Dec. 31, the Huskies rolled to an 89-38 victory over the Pirates in Greenville. The last time ECU faced a ranked team on the road was at No. 19 Virginia on Dec. 6, 2008, where the Cavaliers pulled out an 80-67 win. Connecticut (18-1, 8-0 AAC) will be East Carolina's (13-7, 4-5 AAC) highest-ranked road opponent since playing at No. 1 Duke in its first game of the 2002-03 campaign.
Over the last five games, the Pirates have held significant statistical advantages in crucial categories. ECU is shooting 43.5 percent from the field and 41.6 percent from three-point range while locking down the perimeter on the defensive end, as Houston, Tulsa (twice), Memphis and SMU have combined to make just 24.1 percent (19-for-79) from three-point range. East Carolina is also outscoring those four opponents, 120-73, off the bench and 90-71 off turnovers, while those four teams have averaged 14.6 fewer points than East Carolina's 70.8 per contest.
Redshirt junior and preseason all-conference choice Jada Payne is scoring a team-best 17.3 points per game, while junior forward I'Tiana Taylor is averaging a double-double with 11.4 points and 10.2 rebounds and ranks second on the squad in steals with 1.8. The Pflugerville, Texas native has recorded double-doubles in each of her last two games and four of the Pirates' first nine conference matchups. Taylor is coming off an impressive 20-point, 18-board performance against Tulsa on Saturday - her second instance in which she has posted 20 or more points and 15 or more rebounds in the same game this season.
The Huskies' five starters are each averaging double-figure points per game, led by Breanna Stewart's 16.9, Kaleena Mosqueda-Lewis' 14.7, Morgan Tuck's 14.4, Kia Nurse's 11.9 and Moriah Jefferson's 11.7. Post player Kiah Stokes grabs a team-best 8.1 rebounds per contest and leads the league with 4.4 blocks, while Jefferson hands out 4.7 assists per game. As a team, UConn is shooting 53.6 percent overall and 41.1 percent from three-point range on the year.
EBRON CLIMBING ALL-TIME ASSISTS LIST
Senior point guard Janesha Ebron cracked the top 10 of the program's all-time assists list with five in the win at Tulsa on Jan. 14. She passed Delphine Mabry (1982-87) who had 291 for her career, and with five more dimes in the win at SMU on Jan. 21, became the 10th player to record 300 in a career. With 310 currently, Ebron is just 16 behind Justine Allpress (1993-97) for ninth place in school history.
all over the O-boards
East Carolina has pulled down 20 or more offensive rebounds in eight different games this season. The Pirates currently rank 12th among all NCAA Division I programs with an average of 18 per game, and have matched or exceeded that amount 10 times on the year.
PICKING POCKETS
As of Wednesday, Jan. 21, the Pirates rank ninth among NCAA Division I teams with an average of 12 steals per game. They totaled 21 steals in the season-opening win over Fairfield, and have recorded 12 or more in 11 of 20 games this season.
PRESSURING THE ROCK
Defensively, ECU has used its defensive pressure on the ball to create turnovers and transition runs. East Carolina has forced opponents into an average of 23 turnovers per game and have generated 20 or more in six of the last nine contests and 12 of 20 overall.
TOP SWAT TEAM
ECU currently sits in sixth place for the most blocks per game (6.6) among NCAA Division I teams. East Carolina rejected 10 or more shots in three-straight games in December, a streak that began with 15 blocked shots in the 82-33 win at Loyola Maryland on Dec. 9, and matched the program record initially set on Jan. 18, 1975 against Elon.
