Gameday: ECU Returns Home To Face Temple

Game 17: vs. Temple Owls
Date:	Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2019
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 Television: ESPN3
Internet Options:	Live Stats
Game Notes:	ECU \| Temple \| The American

GREENVILLE, N.C. – ECU returns home this Wednesday night to take on Temple inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The Pirates are coming off two straight road defeats, squandering a 15-point against Memphis before falling by six, 78-72, and then cutting a 21-point deficit down to six at UCF Sunday, but ultimately losing 76-65.

"Let's cut to the chase, if we don't shoot it better, it makes it a lot harder for (Gardner) and makes it a lot harder for all of us," ECU Head Coach Joe Dooley said. "We went 9-for-41 (from 3) in the two games at Memphis and at Central Florida, and we were in both games without shooting the ball well… I think if we can shoot it better, we'll have better results."

ECU ranks 12^th in The American in 3-point field goal percentage.

Temple enters Wednesday night's contest as one of six teams tied for first-place with three victories. After dropping their conference opener to UCF, the Owls have won three in a row, including a 82-80 overtime triumph over USF on Saturday. Temple handed Houston its first loss of the season last Wednesday, 73-69.

At 13-3 overall, Temple is off to its best start since the 2009-10 team went 17-3 before dropping its fourth game.

The matchup features two of The American's top three scorers, Jayden Gardner and Shizz Alston. Gardner leads the league with 19.4 points per game (ppg) and Alston is third with 19.0 ppg.

Gardner was named the CBS Sports/USBWA National Freshman-of-the-Week Tuesday after being named the Co-Freshman-of-the-Week in The American on Monday. He averaged 26.5 points, 14.0 rebounds and shot 54.3 percent from the field in a pair of games capping with week with a 35-point, 20-rebound performance against UCF.

Alston has twice been named Co-Player-of-the-Week in the conference and has three Weekly Honor Roll mentions.

Quinton Rose (16.8 ppg) and Nate Pierre-Louis (14.1 ppg) are also averaging double figures and the trio is accounting for 66 percent of the Owls' scoring.

"They also do a good job in transition," Dooley said. "Alston is an elite player, their guards are all very good and they can all score in a bunch of different ways. We've got to get back and guard our yard."

Junior Seth LeDay and sophomore Shawn Williams provide Gardner with offensive support, averaging a combined 25.0 ppg. Williams leads the Pirates outside at the arc at 34.1 percent, while LeDay ranks second on the team in rebounding, behind Gardner (9.5), with 6.8 boards per game.

ECU is 3-5 all-time against Temple, but have won each of the last two meetings in Greenville and three of the last fall overall after losing each of the first three games in the series.

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Players Mentioned

Jayden Gardner

Seth LeDay

Shawn Williams

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