Gameday: ECU Looks To Stop Slide Against Appalachian State

Game 9: vs. Appalachian State
Date:	Friday, Nov. 30, 2018
Time:	7 p.m. (ET)
Location:	Greenville, N.C. (Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum)
Tickets & Parking:	Game Tickets \| Parking Information
Live Game Coverage:	Radio: WNCT 107.9 FM \| TuneIn Radio Online Video Stream: ESPN3
Internet Options:	Live Stats
Game Notes:	ECU \| Appalachian State \| The American

GREENVILLE, N.C. --- ECU looks to put an end to its two-game skid Friday night when it hosts Appalachian State at 7 p.m. inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

The Pirates (4-4) are coming off a 95-86 loss at UNCW Tuesday night. ECU yielded a season-high 52.7 percent shooting by the Seahawks and surrendered 10 3-pointers. It was only the second time this season that ECU allowed its opponent to shoot over 30 percent outside the arc, holding its foes to an average of 26.7 percent shooting from 3 entering the contest.

UNCW finished 10-of-24 outside the 3-point arc, 41.7 percent. Conversely, the Pirates were just 3-of-16 from long distance.

Despite the Pirates' struggles guarding the Seahawks perimeter shooters Tuesday, they still own the top 3-point percentage defense in The American at 28.8 percent which could be a factor in Friday night's game as the Mountaineers come into the game shooting 43.0 percent from 3 and average more than 10 triples per game.

"[They have] very good guard play," ECU Head Coach Joe Dooley said. "[Justin] Forest and [Ronshad] Shabazz are terrific. They're both very capable scorers. They've already played a very tough schedule… They're making 10 3-pointers a game. We need to make sure we get back on the line and get them off the line and also guard them one-on-one. They do a lot of things where they create space and try to make one-on-one plays."

Forrest leads the Mountaineers (2-4) with 18.2 points per game followed by Shabazz with 17.7 and Isaac Johnson with 10.5. Forrest is shooting 54.5 outside the arc and Shabazz is hitting 45.7 of his deep perimeter shots.

"We've got to key into detail and pay more attention," ECU sophomore guard Shawn Williams said. "We've got to learn how to stay locked in from beginning to end. We can't go on spurts. We've got to do that the whole game."

Freshman Jayden Gardner has led the Pirates in scoring each of the last six games and is their leading scorer and rebounder on the season with 18.3 points and 8.4 rebounds per game. Williams has scored double figures in each game he's played this season and junior Seth LeDay has averaged 12.8 points per game off the bench.

The Pirates are nearly plus-five on the glass this season, while the Mountaineers are slightly less than even.

ECU leads the all-time series 36-24 and has won three of the last four games in the series, including the last meeting in 2012.

Gameday: ECU Looks To Stop Slide Against Appalachian State

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Players Mentioned

Jayden Gardner

Seth LeDay

Shawn Williams

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