Gameday: ECU Welcomes USC Upstate To Minges Coliseum

Game 9: USC Upstate (2-7) at ECU (6-2)
Date	Sunday, Dec. 16
Time	2 p.m. (EST)
Location	Greenville, N.C. (Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum)
Coverage	Live Stats \ Watch \ Listen \ Tickets
Information	ECU Game Notes \ USC Upstate Notes \ AAC Notes
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUWomensHoops Instagram: @ECUWomensHoops Facebook: ECU Women's Basketball

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After a dramatic win over Liberty, the ECU women's basketball team tries to keep its momentum going as the Pirates host USC Upstate on Sunday afternoon inside Minges Coliseum.

ECU (6-2) returned home after a 12-day layoff and topped Liberty 66-63 in front of the biggest home crowd in program history. Students from all over Pitt County came to Minges for the team's annual Education Day and the attendance came to 6,276 fans, a new record for ECU women's basketball attendance. The fans were treated to one of the most exciting games of the year, as ECU fought back in the fourth quarter after trailing for most of the day. The game came down to the final seconds and with the score tied at 63, Justice Gee launched a deep three-pointer at the buzzer that went in to secure the win. Gee became the first Pirate to hit a game-winning shot in the final seconds since Shala Hodges made a three to top Marshall on Feb. 26, 2012.

The Pirates most consistent weapon this season has been the ability to force turnovers. ECU is hounding teams into 24.6 turnovers a game, while turning it over just 16.4 times per game. The Pirates' turnover margin of +8.25 is first in the AAC and is ninth in the NCAA. ECU forced a season-high 35 turnovers against Wake Forest and turned Monmouth over 34 times. Lashonda Monk leads the team with 33 steals, including nine against the Demon Deacons and eight at William & Mary. Monk is first in the American, with 4.1 steals per game and is tied for fifth in the country. At her current pace, Monk has a chance to break ECU's single-season steals mark of 123, set by Toina Coley during the 1992-93 season.

USC Upstate (2-7) comes to Greenville after topping Bob Jones 101-53 to snap a two-game losing streak. Eight different Spartans scored in double-figures to help USC Upstate reach the century mark. Brianna Lewis leads the team in scoring (22.1 ppg) and in assists (59) but has also turned the ball over 58 times. On the glass, Riley Popplewell leads the team with 8.3 rebounds per game. The Spartans have struggled away from home, going just 1-6 outside of Spartanburg, S.C.

ECU and USC Upstate have only met once before, as ECU won 66-53 last November. The win came during the 2017-18 season opener and saw Raven Johnson score a then-career high 21 points. Sunday's game will be the first of two consecutive games against Big South opponents, as ECU will take on Longwood in its first game of the Beach Ball Classic. The Pirates are 76-17 all-time against the current 11 Big South members, with the majority of those games coming against Campbell, who ECU has a 32-6 record against.

Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m., on Sunday afternoon inside Minges Coliseum. Fans can stream the game here and follow the live stats here.

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Players Mentioned

Justice Gee

Raven Johnson

Lashonda Monk

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