Gameday: Pirates Start Texas Roadtrip At SMU

Game 24: ECU (12-11, 3-7) at SMU (8-15, 2-8)
Date	Wednesday, Feb. 14
Time	8 p.m. (EST)
Location	Dallas, Texas (Moody Coliseum)
Coverage	Live Stats \ Watch \ Listen
Information	ECU Notes
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUWomensHoops Instagram: @ECUWomensHoops Facebook: ECU Women's Basketball

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Heading into the home stretch of the regular season, the ECU women's basketball team looks to get its first road win of the season as the Pirates take on SMU on Thursday night.

ECU (12-11, 3-7 AAC) has had its best three-game stretch in conference games, despite a lopsided loss at then No. 5 UConn. The Pirates most recently avenged a loss to Memphis by beating the Tigers 68-59 inside Minges Coliseum. Lashonda Monk dominated on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, scoring 22 points (including making a career-high 15 free throws) and racking up eight steals. Along with Monk, Raven Johnson (13 points) and Alex Frazier (12 points) provided scoring support while Johnson and Salita Greene were the top rebounders, finishing with nine and eight respectively.

The Pirates forced 31 Memphis turnovers on Saturday, the third time this season ECU has forced at least 30 turnovers. Monk is among the nation's best at forcing turnovers, with her 4.00 steals per game ranking her fifth in the country and first in the AAC while her four games of at least eight steals is second in the nation. Frazier has come on strong during conference play, increasing her scoring average from 4.9 to 10.7 and her rebounds from 2.3 to 5.4 per game. Johnson has been one of the most improved players throughout the season as her scoring average jumped from 4.6 points to 12.7 and her rebounding average from 2.4 boards to 6.5 rebounds, both of which are the third-highest season-to-season leap in the conference.

SMU (8-15, 2-8 AAC) currently sits in 12th place in the conference and has lost three straight games coming into Thursday night. The Mustangs have topped Wichita State and USF this season in conference, both of which came at home where SMU is 6-7. Kayla White and Alicia Froling are the top two scorers for SMU, averaging 11.3 points and 11.0 points respectively. Froling is nearly averaging a double-double as she hauls in 9.8 rebounds per game. The Mustangs do not attack from behind the arc, having made just 66 triples this season which is the lowest number in the AAC. The Mustangs' defense is fifth in the conference, allowing just 59.5 points per game and letting opponents shoot just 36.8% against them.

ECU holds an 11-8 advantage in the all-time series which dates back to 2006. The two teams met three times last season, with both teams winning on their home courts and the Pirates winning 85-74 in the opening round of the conference championship. It was the second straight season the two programs had met in the postseason tournament. ECU is just 2-5 all-time in Dallas, with the last win coming in 2015. Last season's win in Greenville was the biggest win for either team in the series as ECU won 76-47 behind Monk's 20 points and 10 steals.

Tipoff is scheduled for 8 p.m., Eastern inside Moody Coliseum. Fans can stream the game here, listen to the live radio broadcast here or follow the live stats here.

Players Mentioned

Alex Frazier

Salita Greene

Raven Johnson

Lashonda Monk

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