Pirates Fall to Houston in Regular Season Finale

Saturday, February 25

Houston, Texas

3 PM

East Carolina University

11-18 (2-14)

Houston

11-17 (4-11)

ECU

Houston

Photo by: Rob Goldberg

February 25, 2017 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Houston, Texas – East Carolina (11-18) fell to Houston (11-17, 4-11 AAC) in the final game of the regular season, 81-65, to finish the American Athletic Conference season 2-14. Houston had four players score in double figures with Jasmyne Harris leading all scorers with a game-high 27 points. The Pirates had three in double figures with Antoinette Bannister leading the way with 16 points, including a quartet of three-pointers.

Alex Frazier scored a career-high 14 points and led the game with six assists. Bre McDonald was the third member of ECU's squad in double figures scoring 12 points, six rebounds and leading the team with three steals. Kristen Gaffney had a team-best nine rebounds for East Carolina.

The Pirates shot 34.4 percent from field goal range and struggled at the free throw line making 17-of-32 attempts (.531). Backed by Bannister's four treys, the Purple and Gold shot 42.9 percent from behind the arc (6-for-14) marking the third-consecutive game ECU hit five-or-more three pointers. Houston shot 46.3 percent in the win and out rebounded East Carolina 46-38.

First Quarter
Houston scored first but Bannister hit a banked-in three-pointer to give East Carolina its first lead of the game, 3-2, with 8:06 on the clock. The Cougars pulled ahead but Khadidja Toure netted her first trey of the game to cut UH's lead to one, 7-6, at 6:45. Neither team scored for the next four and a half minutes but a Jacqueline Blake halted the Cougar's scoring drought with a layup at 2:14. Frazier answered on the Pirates' next possession making it 9-8 Houston with just under two minutes to play. The home team held its largest lead to that point, 14-8, as the clock trickled down but a made layup Gaffney sent the Pirates to a four-point deficit at the buzzer.

Second Quarter
The two exchanged baskets throughout the second quarter but ECU was unable to take the lead maintaining a one-point deficit to the Cougars throughout majority of the frame. At the media timeout, East Carolina trailed UH 23-21 with 4:59 on the clock. Houston pulled ahead 28-24 Frazier made her second-straight layup for the Pirates at 1:54 once again making it a one-possession game. The Cougars pulled ahead by six, 33-27, at halftime. East Carolina was led by Bannister who had half-high eight points while Frazier added seven points and led all players with four assists in the first half. The Pirates shot just 34.9 percent from the field in the half while Houston shot 41.9 percent in the half including 46.7 percent from the floor in the second quarter.

Third Quarter
Houston added to its lead in the early minutes after halftime but two free throws by Frazier ended the Cougars run. Gaffney converted on a three-point play with 6:50 on the clock for a one-possession game with ECU trailing Houston, 39-36. UH went on a 6-0 run over the next minute to lead 45-36 and claimed its first double figure lead, 47-36, at 4:59. Houston used a 13-2 run to build a 14-point lead on the Pirates but East Carolina answered with a 6-0 run, capped by a fast break layup from Bannister. East Carolina cut the deficit to eight points but back-to-back three-pointers by the Cougars in the final minute to lead by 14 points. Bannister hit a three-pointer on the Pirates' last possession to head into the break trailing Houston 59-48.

Fourth Quarter
Frazier sealed her career-high after grabbing an offensive rebound and tossing in a layup with 8:50 left in regulation. Her basket cut Houston's lead to nine, 59-50, but the Cougars went on to outscore ECU 22-17 in the final quarter. The Cougars took their biggest lead of the game, by 22, with 3:31 on the clock. East Carolina closed out the game on a 6-0 run to lose by 16, 81-65.

Up Next
East Carolina finishes the regular season 11-18 overall will be the No. 11 seed in the American Athletic Conference Tournament that begins Friday in Uncasville, Conn., at the Mohegun Sun Arena. With a handful of AAC regular season games to be played Monday night, the Pirates wait to see who they will face in the first round at 8 p.m. on March 3rd.