East Carolina Kickstarts 2020-21 Campaign At Towson

Game One: East Carolina at Towson
The Game	Nov. 25 at Towson \\\ 2:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch ($)
Venue	SECU Arena (Towson, Md.)
Information	Game Notes \\\ Record Book \\\ 2020-21 Quick Facts
Statistics	East Carolina \\\ Towson
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ TikTok \\\ #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina women's basketball team begins the second season of the Kim McNeill era Wednesday afternoon when it travels north to Maryland for a non-conference matchup with Towson at SECU Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.

For fans looking to follow the Pirates' season opener, FloHoops.com (subscription required) will stream the contest while live stats will also be available.

ECU posted a 9-21 overall record and 6-10 American Athletic Conference mark a year ago while ranking second in the nation in steals, steals per game and turnovers forced as well as third in turnover margin.

2019-20 leading scorer Lashonda Monk (14.9 points per game) is back after winning AAC Defensive Player of the Year honors and All-AAC Second-Team laurels while unanimous American Conference Freshman Team selection Taniyah Thompson looks to build on a rookie campaign that saw her average 13.7 points per game.

The Pirates return all five starters, in addition to 11 total players, from last year's roster while welcoming five newcomers to the program - freshmen Synia Johnson, Kayla Morris, Morgan Moseley and Alexsia Rose and Charlotte transfer Maddie Moore.

Scouting Towson
Towson enters the 2020-21 campaign after putting together a 14-15 overall record and 9-9 Colonial Athletic Association mark a season ago. The Tigers entered their conference tournament as the No. 4 seed and were scheduled to face fifth-seeded Northeastern in the first round of the event before it was canceled due to the emerging COVID-19 global pandemic. Towson welcomes back two starters from last year's roster, including leading scorer, senior guard and 2020-21 CAA Preseason Player of the Year Kiona Jeter who finished 46th in the nation and second in the league in points per game (18.6) while also earning a spot on the All-CAA First Team. The Tigers will have to contend with the loss of 2019-20 leading rebounder and All-CAA Second-Team honoree Nukiya Mayo, who averaged 7.7 boards per game, and Ryan Holder - the squad's top shot blocker (45 total). Diane Richardson is in her fourth season as the head coach at Towson. She led the Tigers to the 2019 CAA Tournament title and an appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

The Towson Series
East Carolina and Towson have met just once before on the women's basketball hardwood. The Pirates hosted the Tigers back on Nov. 28, 2009 and defeated the visitors by a 65-48 margin. The contest was part of the Lady Pirate Invitational.

Record Book Rewrite
Monk turned in a season to remember in 2019-20. Along with earning American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year laurels, she also garnered a spot on the AAC All-Conference Second Team. Monk is not only the first-ever ECU player to be named Defensive Player of the Year, regardless of conference, but is also the first non-UConn player to receive the award. She also became the third Pirate player to be named Second-Team All-AAC, joining I'Tiana Taylor (2015) and Jada Payne (2016), as well as the third East Carolina player to be named to multiple American all-conference teams (Taylor and Payne). Monk set numerous records last season with her prowess on the defensive end, ranking third in the country in both steals (121) and steals per game (4.17) as well as leading the AAC in both. She is the first ECU player with multiple nine-steal games in the same season, accomplishing the feat in wins over Tulsa and Tulane. Monk also not only broke the East Carolina career record for steals, but also the AAC standard, and now owns 316 for her career. Monk surpassed Toina Coley for the ECU single-season steals record (125) by swiping four in the conference tournament first-round loss to Temple. Her contributions were not limited just to the defensive side of the ball as she led ECU in scoring (14.9 points per game) while ranking ninth in the league. She increased her scoring average to 15.3 in conference contests while finishing tenth in the league in assists per game (3.6) and free throw percentage (.761).

Freshman Sensation
Thompson exploded onto the collegiate women's basketball scene during the 2019-20 campaign, earning unanimous selection to the American Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team. She was one of the most productive scorers in the league regardless of class, finishing the regular season averaging 13.7 points per contest - good for 11th among the conference circuit and first in terms of AAC rookies. Thompson also led league freshmen in steals per game (1.9) and average minutes played per contest (34.7) while increasing her scoring average to 14.8 versus league opponents. Overall, she produced 19 double-digit scoring games and hit the 20-point mark on seven different occasions. Additionally, Thompson represented one of just three AAC freshmen to record a double-double, scoring 16 points to go along with 10 rebounds at Tulsa. She also became just the ninth ECU player to convert at least six three-pointers in a single game when she connected on six of eight attempts beyond the arc against Dayton.

Experience All Over
It's no secret that East Carolina was a young basketball squad in 2019-20. The Pirate starting lineup in a 55-47 setback to SMU on Jan. 8 featured four freshmen (Thompson, Josephs, Evans and Tsineke), marking the first time that has happened at ECU since 2001. This season, however, the roster is much more balanced as East Carolina boasts four graduate students, one senior, three juniors, four sophomores and four freshmen. Raven Johnson and Justice Gee, who have combined to play 185 games in their careers, are back after essentially missing the entire 2019-20 season with injuries. Additionally, University of Hartford transfer Sierra Dacosta is eligible to suit up following three standout seasons for the Hawks. She earned 2017 America East Conference Rookie of the Year recognition in 2017 and followed up with 2019 All-America East Third-Team honors in 2019.

Claytor Steps Up
In the last nine games of the 2019-20 regular season, Dominique Claytor was a force as she averaged 10.8 and 8.4 rebounds per contest while producing three double-doubles. In six victories during the stretch, Claytor was even better - putting up 12.5 points and 9.3 boards a game. All told, the Pirates were 7-1 when she scored in double figures.

Up Next
East Carolina returns to the court, Sunday, Nov. 29 for a matchup against Atlantic Coast Conference member Virginia. Tipoff inside John Paul Jones Arena is scheduled for 1 p.m.

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Players Mentioned

Dominique Claytor

Justice Gee

Raven Johnson

Synia Johnson

Lashonda Monk

Maddie Moore

Kayla Morris

Morgan Moseley

Alexsia Rose

Taniyah Thompson

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