East Carolina Loses First AAC Road Game at No. 1 Connecticut

Wednesday, January 4

Hartford, CT

7 PM

East Carolina University

9-6, 0-2

No. 1 Connecticut

14-0, 2-0

East Carolina

UConn

East Carolina Loses First AAC Road Game at No. 1 Connecticut

January 04, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score ECU at UConn Box Score (PDF)

HARTFORD, Conn. – Top-ranked Connecticut's sharp shooting handed East Carolina its first road loss of the American Conference season Wednesday night in the XL Center.

Team Records: East Carolina (9-6, 0-2 AAC) | Connecticut (14-0, 2-0 AAC)

Kristen Gaffney led the Pirates for the second time in as many American Conference games. She scored a team-best 12 points connecting on 50 percent from the field (5-for-10). Khadidja Toure and Fanni Csutoras added eight points apiece while Raven Johnson and Dominique Claytor each had five rebounds.

Connecticut was paced by Napheesa Collier who led all scorers with 21 points and seven rebounds. Five Huskies scored in double figures in the win. ECU shot 33.9 percent from the field while Connecticut shot 58.1 percent from the field and 41.7 percent from three-point range. UConn won the battle on the backboards, outrebounding East Carolina 41-23.

Head Coach Heather Macy

Opening statement:
"Our goal tonight as a team was to close the gap. We played the game in five-minute segments. They are the No. 1 team in the country and it's very evident that we respect a lot of what they do and it really gives you something to aspire to."

On the home court atmosphere UConn has built:
"Ultimately, playing at Connecticut gives you something to aspire to. "I spoke to my staff it wasn't that long ago that students were getting extra credit for coming to the games here. Now you look around the hotel and the arena and people are getting here early for the games for that atmosphere. That's what we work our tails off every day in Greenville for - to build that environment. I respect so much of what they do and it gives us something every single day to fight for and create that environment."

On three freshman playing in this environment for the first time:
"Ultimately these are the kids that we are bringing here to build our program around. I thought that they did not play intimidated. I thought they played aggressive, whether or not they made the shots they were taking. I thought that they competed tonight."

On breaking down the game into segments:
"We were breaking the game down into five minute segments all night. We were kind of strategizing down the stretch thinking why would we call a timeout when we can't change it. It's a process that we are building for the future with our athletes and it's something we are working on capitalizing for the American Conference season."

About playing against the best:
"Honestly this is the environment that you want to play in. You want to play against the best if you are a competitor and coach against the best and obviously he (Geno Auriemma) is the best and this is the best program. We are thankful they are in the American Conference and we are going to continue to work hard and close that gap."

First Quarter
Connecticut took the lead early and led 15-1 at the first quarter media timeout. With 1:40 to play in the period, ECU was on a run of its own, connecting on four of its last four shots from the field to trail the Huskies 26-10. Four Pirates scored in the quarter as ECU shot 25 percent from the field (4-for-16). Connecticut shot over 57 percent in the quarter and held East Carolina to 25 percent from three-point range.

Second Quarter
Connecticut took a 5-2 start to the second quarter but a 6-0 run by the Pirates gave ECU the advantage in the first five minutes of the frame. The Huskies held a 17-10 advantage over East Carolina in the third while the Pirates improved to shoot 30.8 percent from the field.

Third Quarter
It was all Connecticut in the third quarter as the Huskies held East Carolina to eight points - the lowest offensive stanza of the game for ECU. Connecticut strung together a 24-2 run during the period to hold a 71-28 lead at the end of the frame. Despite being held to eight points, East Carolina improved its shooting to 33.3 percent from the field.

Fourth Quarter
Csutoras warmed up in the fourth quarter, scoring all eight of her points in the final 10 minutes of action. Toure added five points of her own as ECU cut into Connecticut's lead as the clock ticked down. With under two minutes to play, the Pirates drew within 37 but a jumper by Natalie Butler and a pair of free throws by Kyla Irwin made it a 40-plus lead once more. The Pirates had their best offensive quarter in the fourth, scoring 17 points and shooting 46.7 percent from the field.

Up Next
ECU continues league play Saturday, Jan. 7, when the Pirates host SMU at 5 p.m. in Minges Coliseum on the American Digital Network.