East Carolina Meets Tulane in American Conference Clash
January 22, 2016 | Women's Basketball
| Game 20: East Carolina at Tulane | |
| Date | Saturday, Jan. 23 |
| Time | 3 p.m. (ET) |
| Location | New Orleans, La. (Devlin Fieldhouse) |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  | Tulane | American Conference |
| Live Stats | |
| Coverage |  American Digital Network |  Radio: (WZMB 91.3 FM) | @ECUScoreboard |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina women's basketball team will look to build upon its home victory Wednesday evening when it travels to New Orleans, La., to face Tulane in American Athletic Conference action on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 3 p.m. (ET). The game will be broadcast on American Digital Network.
LAST TIME OUT
I'Tiana Taylor recorded her 11th double-double of the season with 24 points on 9-for-15 shooting and matched a career-high 19 rebounds to lead East Carolina (9-10, 3-4 AAC) to a 630-60 home win over Cincinnati on Wednesday night. She compiled 16 points and 12 boards in the second half alone to go with three assists in just 31 minutes of court time. Marina Laramie added 15 points and seven rebounds, while Jada Payne turned in a loaded statistical line with eight points, eight grabs off the glass, five assists, three blocks and three steals. Ana Owens led the Bearcats with 21 points and went 12-for-12 at the free throw line. East Carolina finished the night shooting 23-for-62 (.371) overall and held an astounding 52-34 rebounding advantage and outscored Cincinnati, 34-16, in the paint.
ALL-TIME VERSUS TULANE
The Pirates trail, 14-6, in the all-time series, but have won each of the last three times they have traveled to Tulane, including a 67-63 comeback victory last season where ECU closed the contest on a 20-6 scoring run behind four threes and two clutch shots by Abria Trice in the final minute after trailing by 10 points with 5:50 remaining. The last time the Green Wave earned a home win against East Carolina was in a 71-61 triumph on Jan. 13, 2011.
SCOUTING THE GREEN WAVE
Tulane (14-5, 5-2 AAC) enters Saturday's matchup winners in four of its last five and 11 of its last 13 games following a 54-42 league victory over SMU on Wednesday night. The Green Wave topped ECU, 66-51, just 18 days prior in Greenville behind 20 points by sophomore guard Kolby Morgan. She leads the team with 16.2 points per game on 44-percent shooting, while junior point guard Leslie Vorpahl is averaging 11.7 points and 5.7 assists per contest.
FEELS BRAND NEW
East Carolina graduated six players last season, but only three of its six returners have been able to see the court this season. Those three (Jada Payne, I'Tiana Taylor and DeVaughn Gray) were responsible for 33.9 of the Pirates' 66.6 points per game last season, and are currently producing 41.7 of the team's 69.1 points per contest this season.
TAYLOR'S TALE
I'Tiana Taylor has posted six double-doubles in ECU's first seven conference games this season and has 11 total, which ranks tied for seventh nationally. In league play, Taylor is averaging 15.1 points and 13.3 rebounds while shooting 46.8 percent from the floor.
SENIORS AMBUSH HOUSTON
Seniors Jada Payne, I'Tiana Taylor and DeVaughn Gray were responsible for 63 of ECU's 76 points in the six-point win over the Cougars on Jan. 14. Payne (24 pts/10 rebs) and Taylor (21 pts/16 rebs) posted respective double-doubles while Gray added a season-high 18 points and a career-high four assists while hitting four threes
PAYNE CLIMBING ALL-TIME SCORING CHART
In just two full seasons, Jada Payne scored the 17th-most points in ECU history and is on pace to become one of top three scorers the program has ever had in just three years' time. Payne surpassed 1,500 in her third season at East Carolina on Jan. 17 at USF and has 1,782-career points. With 218 more during her senior campaign, an average of 19.8 per game the rest of this season, she will eclipse 2,000 for her career.
Player Points
1. Rosie Thompson (1975-80) 2,352
2. Mary Denkler (1979-83) 1,789
3. LaCoya Terry (2005-09) 1,648
4. Jasmine Young (2005-09) 1,591
5. Debbie Freeman (1974-78) 1,570
6. Tonya Hargrove (1988-92) 1,532
7. Jada Payne (2013-pres.) 1,510
8. Jennifer Jackson (2001-05) 1,490
9. Courtney Willis (2000-04) 1,374
10. Sylvia Bragg (1982-86) 1,366
DOUBLE-DOUBLE BUBBLE
East Carolina has had at least one player record a double-double in all but one game this season, while two or more players have notched a double-double in the same game on six different occasions:
Nov. 22 at Delaware
Payne - 22 points/17 rebounds
Taylor - 11 points/11 rebounds
Nov. 27 vs. Eastern Washington
Payne - 20 points/16 rebounds
Taylor - 14 points/10 rebounds
Nov. 28 vs. No. 19 Northwestern
Taylor - 27 points/17 rebounds
Payne - 22 points/13 rebounds
Laramie - 14 points/10 rebounds
Dec. 19 vs. Ohio
Taylor - 19 points/17 rebounds
Laramie - 11 points/10 rebounds
Jan. 5 vs. Tulane
Payne - 12 points/10 rebounds
Taylor - 12 points/12 rebounds
Jan. 14 vs. Houston
Payne - 24 points/10 rebounds
Taylor - 21 points/16 rebounds
PAYNE BRINGS THE RAIN
Jada Payne broke her own ECU single-season record for three-pointers made with 80 in 33 games in 2014-15. She initially set the record in 2013-14 with 70 makes from beyond the arc and is on pace to break the school record for conversions in just three years:
Player 3-Pt FGM
1. Allison Spivey (2007-11) 201
2. Jasmine Young (2005-09) 178
3. Jada Payne (2013-pres.) 173
4. Justine Allpress (1993-97) 166
5. Jennifer Jackson (2001-05) 159
