East Carolina University
19-9 (10-7AAC)
Temple
15-15 (11-6AAC)
Pirates' Six-Game Win Streak Snapped at Temple, 79-69
February 28, 2015 | Women's Basketball
PHILADELPHIA - The East Carolina women's basketball team lost for the first time in the month of February and in its final road game of the regular season, 79-69, at Temple in American Athletic Conference action at McGonigle Hall Saturday afternoon.
Junior forward I'Tiana Taylor tied for a game-high with 22 points on 10-for-13 shooting and led the team with six rebounds, while redshirt junior Jada Payne scored 14 points and redshirt senior Abria Trice added nine points, five boards and four steals.
Erica Covile led the Owls with 22 points and nine rebounds, while shooting 12-for-15 at the free throw line, as Alliya Butts added 16 points and Tanaya Atkinson and Tyonna Williams chipped in 13 apiece.
All five East Carolina (19-9, 10-7 AAC) starters accounted for one basket apiece before the first media timeout, as they also forced five turnovers on the defensive end to create an early 10-4 lead just over four minutes into the game. The Pirates went on to make seven of their first 10 shots and created the first double-digit advantage of the day, 14-4, after a layup by Taylor with 13:44 remaining.
Temple (15-15, 11-6 AAC) was quick to respond however, scoring six-straight points to the 9:56 mark following back-to-back baskets in the paint by Atkinson. Despite coming within two points with just over six minutes left in the period and trailing by as many as six after a three by Payne made it 25-19 with 3:48 to go, the Owls were able to counter with a 7-0 scoring run to take their first lead of the afternoon, 26-25 on a layup by Covile with 2:16 on the clock.
The lead would change three times inside the final two minutes of action, with the final flip coming on a three by senior forward Shae Nelson as the halftime buzzer sounded to put the Pirates back on top, 31-30.
ECU shot 14-for-29 (.483) from the field, 2-for-4 (.500) beyond the arc and hit one of two free throws in the first half, while Temple shot 9-for-26 (.346) on the floor, 2-for-8 (.250) from deep and 10-for-13 (.769) at the foul line.
The Owls raced out of the intermission and created a six-point swing to take a 39-34 lead just three-and-a-half minutes into the second half, and pushed their advantage to seven, 49-42, with 12:52 remaining. That was when East Carolina countered with a 7-0 run capped by a running jumper by junior DeVaughn Gray with 10:29 on the clock to tie the game.
Temple extended its lead to as many as 10 points on multiple occasions, including a 65-55 advantage with 6:36 left. Once again, the Pirates retaliated with a 9-0 run capped by Trice jumper with 4:23 remaining to cut the deficit to just one.
The Owls made their free throws down the stretch, as ECU drew no closer than three points at 70-67 with 2:24 remaining and the home team hung on for the victory.
The Pirates shot 28-for-62 (.452) overall, 4-for-10 (.400) from three-point range and 9-for-18 (.500) at the free throw line. Templeshot 21-for-49 (.429) on the day, including 8-for-20 (.400) beyond the arc and 29-for-35 (.829) at the charity stripe.
East Carolina will conclude its regular season Monday, March 2 when it hosts UCF on Senior Night. Opening tip is scheduled for 7 p.m., at Williams Arena in Minges Coliseum and the game will be broadcast on the American Digital Network.
