Pirates Meet Bearcats For Road Contest Wednesday Night
February 23, 2016 | Women's Basketball
Feb. 23, 2016
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina women's basketball team will travel to Cincinnati for the first of its final two road contests in search of regular-season sweep of the Bearcats when the two teams meet Wednesday night in American Conference action at Fifth Third Arena. Opening tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
East Carolina (10-17, 4-11 AAC) dropped an 84-41 contest to top-ranked Connecticut (26-0, 15-0 AAC) on Saturday night in Greenville. I'Tiana Taylor led the Pirates with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Marina Laramie grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Katie Lou Samuelson scored 15 of her game-high 19 points in the first quarter for the Huskies, while Breanna Stewart posted 16 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks, four assists and three steals. ECU finished the night with a season-low 15 field goals made, while UConn shot 28-for-60 (.467) overall.
ALL-TIME VERSUS CINCINNATI
The Pirates and Bearcats will meet for the 10th time overall with East Carolina leading the all-time series, 5-4. ECU swept Cincinnati in both contests last season after the two programs faced off for the first time in 10 seasons.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Cincinnati (8-18, 4-11 AAC) broke a five-game losing streak with a 67-61 road victory at Houston on Saturday night, but has dropped eight of its last 10 contests. The Bearcats are led by point guard Ana Owens' 13.2 points and 2.8 assists per game, while Jasmine Whitfield (12.4 ppg) and Alyesha Lovett (11.1 ppg) also average double-figures. As a team, holds a -14.5 scoring margin, shoots 33.3 percent and allows opponents to make 43.3-percent of their shots - all of which rank last in The American this season.
WHEN THEY LAST MET…
On Jan. 20, I'Tiana Taylor recorded a double-double with 24 points and matched a career-high 19 rebounds. She shot 9-for-15 and 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. Jasmine Whitfield chipped in 17 points and Alyesha Lovett contributed a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
BACK TO THE FUTURE?
East Carolina and Cincinnati are currently the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds, respectively, if the American Conference Championship began today. In the current format, the two squads would meet in the first round on Friday, March 4 at 4 p.m., at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
ANOTHER MACY MILESTONE
Sixth-year Head Coach Heather Macy collected victory No. 100 at ECU on Friday, Nov. 27 in the 80-62 victory over Eastern Washington at the Lone Star Showcase in Austin, Texas. Macy is just one win behind Cathy Andruzzi, six behind Catherine Bolton and 22 away from Sharon Baldwin-Tener for the top three spots in program history.
TAYLOR ON THE BOARDS
I'Tiana Taylor has pulled down 286 rebounds in just 27 games in 2015-16 which ranks as the seventh-most in a single season at ECU. With just 14 more, she can become only the second player in program history to grab 300 in a year and first since Rosie Thompson had 358 in 1978-79. Taylor's average of 10.6 per contest would stand as the third-highest average in a season and make her just the fourth Pirate to average double-digit rebounds.
PAYNE NAMED TO DAWN STALEY AWARD WATCH LIST
Jada Payne was one of just 16 players to be named to the 2016 Dawn Staley Award Mid-Season Watch List on Jan. 28. The award recognizes the nation's best guard in Women's Division I college basketball, exemplified by skills that Staley possessed: ball handling, scoring, ability to distribute and will to win.
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 just her third season at East Carolina on Jan. 17 at USF and has 1,914-career points. With 86 more during her senior campaign, an average of 21.5 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. Jada Payne (2013-pres.) 1,642
5. Jasmine Young (2005-09) 1,591
6. Debbie Freeman (1974-78) 1,570
7. Tonya Hargrove (1988-92) 1,532
8. Jennifer Jackson (2001-05) 1,490
9. Courtney Willis (2000-04) 1,374
10. Sylvia Bragg (1982-86) 1,366
TAYLOR'S TALE
I'Tiana Taylor has posted nine double-doubles in ECU's 15 conference games this season and has 13 total. In league play, Taylor is averaging 13.6 points and 11.9 rebounds while shooting 44.3 percent from the floor.
I.T.'s 20/15 VISION
I'Tiana Taylor has had a handful of monster performances this season, four of which resulted in her scoring at least 20 points and grabbing 15 or more rebounds in the same game:
Nov. 28 vs. Northwestern 27 points/17 rebounds
Jan. 14 vs. Houston 21 points/16 rebounds
Jan. 20 vs. Cincinnati 24 points/19 rebounds
Feb. 13 vs. Memphis 22 points/19 rebounds
DOUBLE-DOUBLE BUBBLE
East Carolina has had at least one player record a double-double in all but four games this season, which included a streak of 13-straight contests from Nov. 27 through Jan. 20 while two or more players have notched a double-double in the same game six times. The Pirates have compiled 27 double-doubles across 22 different games: I'Tiana Taylor (14); Jada Payne (11); Marina Laramie (2).
AMERICAN CONFERENCE HONOR ROLL
Jada Payne has been named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll five times this season (Nov. 16, Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Jan. 4 and Jan. 11), while I'Tiana Taylor has also been named five times (Dec. 7, Dec. 21, Jan. 18, Jan. 25 and Feb. 22).
| Game 28: East Carolina at Cincinnati | |
| Date | Wednesday, Feb. 24 |
| Time | 7 p.m. (ET) |
| Location | Cincinnati, Ohio (Fifth Third Arena) |
| Game Notes | East Carolina  | Cincinnati | American Conference |
| Live Stats | Live Stats |
| Coverage |  Bearcats TV |  Radio: (WZMB 91.3 FM) | @ECUScoreboard |
GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina women's basketball team will travel to Cincinnati for the first of its final two road contests in search of regular-season sweep of the Bearcats when the two teams meet Wednesday night in American Conference action at Fifth Third Arena. Opening tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
East Carolina (10-17, 4-11 AAC) dropped an 84-41 contest to top-ranked Connecticut (26-0, 15-0 AAC) on Saturday night in Greenville. I'Tiana Taylor led the Pirates with 12 points and nine rebounds, while Marina Laramie grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds. Katie Lou Samuelson scored 15 of her game-high 19 points in the first quarter for the Huskies, while Breanna Stewart posted 16 points, 11 rebounds, eight blocks, four assists and three steals. ECU finished the night with a season-low 15 field goals made, while UConn shot 28-for-60 (.467) overall.
ALL-TIME VERSUS CINCINNATI
The Pirates and Bearcats will meet for the 10th time overall with East Carolina leading the all-time series, 5-4. ECU swept Cincinnati in both contests last season after the two programs faced off for the first time in 10 seasons.
SCOUTING THE BEARCATS
Cincinnati (8-18, 4-11 AAC) broke a five-game losing streak with a 67-61 road victory at Houston on Saturday night, but has dropped eight of its last 10 contests. The Bearcats are led by point guard Ana Owens' 13.2 points and 2.8 assists per game, while Jasmine Whitfield (12.4 ppg) and Alyesha Lovett (11.1 ppg) also average double-figures. As a team, holds a -14.5 scoring margin, shoots 33.3 percent and allows opponents to make 43.3-percent of their shots - all of which rank last in The American this season.
WHEN THEY LAST MET…
On Jan. 20, I'Tiana Taylor recorded a double-double with 24 points and matched a career-high 19 rebounds. She shot 9-for-15 and 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. Jasmine Whitfield chipped in 17 points and Alyesha Lovett contributed a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds.
BACK TO THE FUTURE?
East Carolina and Cincinnati are currently the No. 8 and No. 9 seeds, respectively, if the American Conference Championship began today. In the current format, the two squads would meet in the first round on Friday, March 4 at 4 p.m., at the Mohegan Sun Arena in Uncasville, Conn.
ANOTHER MACY MILESTONE
Sixth-year Head Coach Heather Macy collected victory No. 100 at ECU on Friday, Nov. 27 in the 80-62 victory over Eastern Washington at the Lone Star Showcase in Austin, Texas. Macy is just one win behind Cathy Andruzzi, six behind Catherine Bolton and 22 away from Sharon Baldwin-Tener for the top three spots in program history.
TAYLOR ON THE BOARDS
I'Tiana Taylor has pulled down 286 rebounds in just 27 games in 2015-16 which ranks as the seventh-most in a single season at ECU. With just 14 more, she can become only the second player in program history to grab 300 in a year and first since Rosie Thompson had 358 in 1978-79. Taylor's average of 10.6 per contest would stand as the third-highest average in a season and make her just the fourth Pirate to average double-digit rebounds.
PAYNE NAMED TO DAWN STALEY AWARD WATCH LIST
Jada Payne was one of just 16 players to be named to the 2016 Dawn Staley Award Mid-Season Watch List on Jan. 28. The award recognizes the nation's best guard in Women's Division I college basketball, exemplified by skills that Staley possessed: ball handling, scoring, ability to distribute and will to win.
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 just her third season at East Carolina on Jan. 17 at USF and has 1,914-career points. With 86 more during her senior campaign, an average of 21.5 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. Jada Payne (2013-pres.) 1,642
5. Jasmine Young (2005-09) 1,591
6. Debbie Freeman (1974-78) 1,570
7. Tonya Hargrove (1988-92) 1,532
8. Jennifer Jackson (2001-05) 1,490
9. Courtney Willis (2000-04) 1,374
10. Sylvia Bragg (1982-86) 1,366
TAYLOR'S TALE
I'Tiana Taylor has posted nine double-doubles in ECU's 15 conference games this season and has 13 total. In league play, Taylor is averaging 13.6 points and 11.9 rebounds while shooting 44.3 percent from the floor.
I.T.'s 20/15 VISION
I'Tiana Taylor has had a handful of monster performances this season, four of which resulted in her scoring at least 20 points and grabbing 15 or more rebounds in the same game:
Nov. 28 vs. Northwestern 27 points/17 rebounds
Jan. 14 vs. Houston 21 points/16 rebounds
Jan. 20 vs. Cincinnati 24 points/19 rebounds
Feb. 13 vs. Memphis 22 points/19 rebounds
DOUBLE-DOUBLE BUBBLE
East Carolina has had at least one player record a double-double in all but four games this season, which included a streak of 13-straight contests from Nov. 27 through Jan. 20 while two or more players have notched a double-double in the same game six times. The Pirates have compiled 27 double-doubles across 22 different games: I'Tiana Taylor (14); Jada Payne (11); Marina Laramie (2).
AMERICAN CONFERENCE HONOR ROLL
Jada Payne has been named to the American Athletic Conference Weekly Honor Roll five times this season (Nov. 16, Nov. 23, Nov. 30, Jan. 4 and Jan. 11), while I'Tiana Taylor has also been named five times (Dec. 7, Dec. 21, Jan. 18, Jan. 25 and Feb. 22).
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