Basketball Gameday: vs. UConn
February 24, 2015 | Men's Basketball
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| East Carolina vs. UConn Feb. 25, 2015 | 7 p.m. EST Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum |Greenville, N.C. |
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English novelist Jane Austen wrote "There is nothing like staying at home for real comfort."
The 2014-15 East Carolina men's basketball has personified that statement with an 11-3 record inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum and will look to extend its home court winning streak to five games Wednesday night as it welcomes reigning national champion UConn to Greenville.
The Pirates stretched its home court winning streak this Saturday with a 73-60 win over USF Saturday behind a combined 48-point effort from B.J. Tyson, Caleb White and Terry Whisnant. Tyson and White scored 19 points apiece, while Whisnant added 10 points. White made a career-high five 3-pointers and Tyson matched his career-best with 11 made free throws.
Redshirt sophomore Marshall Guilmette scored double figures for the first time since November with a 13-point effort.
Three of those four wins came against teams whom the Pirates had lost to on the road: Cincinnati, Memphis and USF. The Pirates will look to make it four after losing to UConn to 13, 65-52, in Storrs three weeks ago.
ECU led the Huskies by seven at halftime, 34-27, after making 8 of 13 3-point attempts and shooting 54.2 percent overall from the field.
However, the Pirates' lost their shooting touch in the second half, going just 7 of 21 from the floor, while the Huskies shot 53.8 percent after halftime and made seven 3s.
"Offensively, we did some really good things in the first half up there," Lebo said. "In the second half, [UConn] attacked our zone a little bit better, (Ryan) Boatwright got going and we had trouble scoring the ball like we did in the first half.
Tyson came off the bench to score 20 points for the Pirates, going a perfect 4 of 4 behind the arc. White added 11 points.
Boatwright led all scorers with 23 points, burying 7 of 10 3-point attempts. Freshman Daniel Hamilton had nine points and 11 rebounds.
The Huskies have gone 3-2 since their last meeting with the Pirates with both losses coming on the road to SMU and Memphis. UConn is just 3-6 on the road this season.
Boatwright is the conference's leading scorer with 17.4 ppg and Hamilton ranks second in rebounding with 8.9 boards per game.
Tyson (12.9 ppg), Whisnant (12.9 ppg) and White (12.3 ppg) each rank among the top 15 in the league in scoring with Whisnant and White each ranking among the top 10 in 3-point field goals made.
RADIO / TELEVISIONFans can hear Wednesday'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 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.
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 Wednesday's game live on ESPNU with Mike Couzens calling the play-by-play and Brooke Weisbrod providing analysis.
Fans can follow live stats by clicking the GameTracker link at ECUPirates.com or by clicking here.
MORE ABOUT UCONN- UConn is 15-11 overall this season and 8-6 in conference play. The Huskies are currently tied with Memphis for fifth-place in The American.
- The game at East Carolina will be the 10th true road game for UConn this season. The Huskies are 3-6 in road games so far, with wins at Florida, South Florida and Tulane and losses at Tulsa, Stanford , Cincinnati, Houston, SMU and Memphis.
- Freshman Daniel Hamilton was named the AAC Rookie of the Week on Feb. 23 after he averaged 16.0 points, 11.0 rebounds, 8.0 assists and 3.0 steals in a loss to Memphis and a win over Tulane.
- Amida Brimah leads The American with 3.6 blocks per game and field goal percentage (.724). Brimah is 13-of-14 from the floor in his last two games.
- UConn has the second-highest rebounding margin in the conference with a 4.6 advantage on the glass.
SERIES HISTORY
Wednesday's game will be the sixth all-time meeting between the Pirates and Huskies and second of the season. Four of the previous five meetings were played in New England with the other being contested in Tulsa. Wednesday will be the first meeting between the two in Greenville.
The teams met four times from 1966-78, but didn't play again until three weeks ago.
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.
