Basketball Gameday: at Temple
February 13, 2015 | Men's Basketball
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| East Carolina at Temple Feb. 14, 2015 | 2 p.m. EST Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum |Greenville, N.C. |
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GREENVILLE, N.C. --- Fresh off an 11-point victory over Memphis Tuesday night, East Carolina is playing its best basketball of the season in February, compiling a 3-1 record so far this month.
The Pirates will face their sternest test to date Saturday as the travel to take on Temple, winners of six in a row, for the first time in school history.
East Carolina (11-13, 4-7 American) has held three of its last four opponents under 55 points, limiting its opponents 53.8 ppg this month after holding Memphis to its lowest conference output of the season. B.J. Tyson scored 23 - 20 after halftime - and Caleb White added 11 as the Pirates defeated the Tigers for the second time in school history.
The Pirates will be looking to score their third consecutive win of the season Saturday as well as their road win. Their last road win came last February at UAB.
Saturday's matchup features two of the top defensive teams in the league. Temple ranks second with overall field goal percent defense (.387), while the Pirates have The American's best 3-point defense, limiting its opponents to 29.5 percent shooting outside the arc.
The teams are also among the best protectors and keepers of the basketball in the conference. The Owls have the highest turnover margin in the league at +3.36, while ECU has the third-highest at +0.62. Temple (1.2) and ECU (1.1) also rank one and three in assist-to-turnover ratio,
Pirate senior Antonio Robinson leads the conference with a 2.3 assist-to-turnover ratio and has more steals (41) than turnovers (36). The Winston-Salem native also ranks third in The American with 1.7 steals per game. He is joined in the top four by the Owls' duo of Will Cummings (1.8) and Jaylen Boyd (1.5), who rank second and fourth in steals per game.
Both teams put up similar offensive numbers as Temple averages 65.2 points per game, while the Pirates score at 64.7 per game clip. However, the Owls allow five fewer points per game than ECU. During its current six-game win streak, Temple has held three of its opponents under 50 points.
East Carolina is the only team in the conference to have three players ranks among the top 15 in scoring: Terry Whisnant (12th), B.J. Tyson (13th) and Caleb White. Cummings (9th) and Quenton DeCosey (11th) also rank among the conference scoring leaders for Temple with more than 13.0 ppg apiece.
RADIO / TELEVISIONFans 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 1:30 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 Rich Waltz calling the play-by-play, former Duke forward Alaa Abdelnaby providing analysis.
Fans can follow live stats by clicking here for the Sidearm Stats link.
ABOUT TEMPLE- The Owls have won six in a row entering Saturday's game, matching their longest streak of the season.
- Senior Will Cummings is the Owls' leading scorer at 13.5 ppg, ranking ninth in The American.
- Junior Quenton DeCosey has reached double figures in scoring in 20 of 25 games, ranking second on the team and 11th in The American with 13.0 ppg.
- Junior forward Jaylen Bond leads the conference with 7.9 rebounds per game, an average that has jumped to 8.2 rpg in conference play.
- The Owls currently rank 32nd in the NCAA RPI, the third-highest ranked team in The American.
- Temple currently ranks 13th among all Division I teams in fewest turnovers at 10.1 per game. The Owls have committed fewer than 10 turnovers in eight of their last 14 games, including five straight.
SERIES HISTORY
Saturday's game will be the first-ever meeting between East Carolina and Temple on the hardwood. ECU Head Coach Jeff Lebo is 2-0 all-time against the Owls, posting both victories during his Auburn tenure. His first game as the Tigers' head coach was an 80-78 over Temple in Philadelphia in 2004.
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.
