East Carolina University
1-0
UTRGV
0-1
Pirates Surge Past UTRGV In Season Opener, 70-59
November 13, 2015 | Women's Basketball
Box Score | Box Score 
CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - Senior Jada Payne notched her 12th-career double-double with a game-high 27 points and 10 rebounds, as the East Carolina women's basketball team won its fourth-straight season-opener with a 70-59 victory over UTRGV at the American Bank Center.
Payne shot 9-for-16 from the floor and 9-for-12 at the free throw line while adding three assists and three steals in 40 minutes of action. Junior point guard Khadidja Toure added 12 points, five rebounds and two assists and senior forward I'Tiana Taylor chipped in 11 points, six boards and a career-high six steals. Junior forward Marina Laramie compiled a loaded stat line comprising nine points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a pair of steals.
The first quarter began with East Carolina (1-0) struggling to corral rebounds, leaving UTRGV (0-1) with numerous second-chance looks, but none materialized into baskets. The Pirates received early baskets from Payne, Taylor and senior DeVaughn Gray to open up a 6-2 lead just under four minutes into the game. ECU found its groove offensively as the quarter progressed behind seven points by Payne to carry an 18-10 lead into the second frame.
Despite making just three of their 19 shots in the first 10 minutes, the Vaqueros found their stroke from three-point range in the second quarter, making six of their 10 attempts en route to outscoring the Pirates, 22-8, to take a 32-26 lead into the locker rooms at half time.
East Carolina shot 9-for-32 (.281) overall, missed all seven three-point attempts and went 8-for-12 (.667) at the free throw line in the first half, while UTRGV shot 11-for-36 (.306) from the field and 6-for-13 (.462) beyond the arc while making all four free throw attempts in the opening 20 minutes of action.
The Pirates came out of the intermission with a renewed sense of urgency and it all began with an eruption by Payne. She scored on a layup on the first possession of the period, before Toure connected on her first three-pointer to cut ECU's deficit to one just 55 seconds in.
The Vaqueros built their lead back to seven at 42-35 on a three-pointer with 5:09 to go in the third quarter, but East Carolina responded with an 11-0 scoring run to the 1:36 mark that began with a trey by Laramie and ended with eight-straight points by Payne to put the Pirates back on top, 46-42.
ECU took a 48-46 lead into the fourth quarter, but ripped off an 11-2 run capped by a Laramie layup to pull away with a 59-48 advantage with 6:23 left on the game clock. The Pirates didn't take their foot off the gas pedal down the final stretch and increased their lead to as many as 15 after Toure's second three on the afternoon gave her team a 68-53 lead with just 1:43 to play.
East Carolina outscored UTRGV, 44-27, in the second half and finished the day shooting 24-for-59 (.407) overall, 3-for-18 (.167) from three-point range and 19-for-26 (.731) at the foul stripe. The Vaqueros went 18-for-58 (.310) from the field and 8-for-21 (.381) beyond the arc, while going 15-for-20 (.750) at the free throw line.
Shawnte Goff led UTRGV with 22 points, five rebounds and a team-high three assists.
The Pirates will return to action Saturday, Nov. 14 to face host Texas A&M-Corpus Christi. Opening tip is set for 8 p.m. (ET).
