East Carolina University
8-9,0-4AAC
SMU
16-0,5-0AAC
East Carolina Falls to No. 10 SMU, 79-55
January 13, 2016 | Men's Basketball
From wire and staff reports
GREENVILLE, N.C. --- Ben Moore scored 17 points and the No. 10 SMU Mustangs remained unbeaten by defeating East Carolina 79-55 on Wednesday night.
Markus Kennedy had 11 points and 10 rebounds, Jordan Tolbert finished with 15 points and Nic Moore had a career-high 12 assists for the Mustangs (16-0, 5-0 American Athletic Conference), who had five double-figure scorers for the fourth time this season.
Playing their first game as a top-10 team in 31 years, they never trailed and shot 52.5 percent while extending the best start - and second-longest winning streak - in school history. The pass-first Mustangs had assists on 23 of their 31 baskets.
''I'm not sure that they have NBA players, like an NBA guy, but they have a lot of really, really good high-level college players,'' East Carolina coach Jeff Lebo said. ''They play so much the right way and share the ball. It's really beautiful to watch.''
Caleb White and B.J. Tyson scored 15 points apiece to lead the Pirates (8-9, 0-4), who shot 33 percent in the second half and lost their fourth straight to remain one of two teams winless in AAC play.
Shake Milton scored 13 points and Sterling Brown had 11 for SMU, which put this one away by opening the second half with a 17-4 run. The Mustangs held East Carolina scoreless for five minutes and pushed their lead into the 20s on a 3-pointer by Milton that made it 58-36 with just over 13 minutes left. The Pirates never got closer than 17 the rest of the way.
SMU rushed out to a 21-6 lead in the first six minutes, but the Pirates went on a 22-11 run to pull within four at 32-28.
After exchanging baskets, Brown made his second triple of the half to put the Mustangs back up seven before Clarence Williams answered with a bucket in the the paint.
Kennedy, who had made one 3 this season entering the game, then beat the shot clock with a triple out of the corner directly in front of the ECU bench to give SMU an eight-point lead at the half, 40-32.
East Carolina shot 48.1 percent in the first half and scored 11 points off nine SMU turnovers with 10 fast break points. The Mustangs only committed five turnovers in the second half and didn't allow any fast break points.
SMU, which ranks third in Division I with a rebounding margin of plus-12.6, finished with a 42-22 rebounding advantage. they The Mustangs allowed East Carolina just five offensive boards while rebounding 27 of its misses.
