ECU Challenges Virginia Sunday In Charlottesville

Game Two: East Carolina at Virginia
The Game	Nov. 29 at Virginia \\\ 1:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venue	John Paul Jones Arena (Charlottesville, Va.)
Information	Game Notes \\\ Record Book \\\ 2020-21 Quick Facts
Statistics	East Carolina \\\ Virginia
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ TikTok \\\ #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina looks to crack the win column for the first time this season Sunday when it makes the trip to Charlottesville for a non-conference matchup with the University of Virginia. The contest marks the Pirates' first meeting with the Cavaliers since 2008.

ECU opened its 2020-21 campaign with a narrow 89-81 loss to Towson on the road. The Pirates rallied from a double-digit second-half deficit to tie the game in the fourth quarter but could not quite complete the comeback. The scoring output was the largest for the team in a single game since head coach Kim McNeill took the reins of the program.

Graduate student Sierra DaCosta put together a huge debut in the Purple and Gold after sitting out last year due to NCAA student-athlete transfer rules. She scored 25 points and pulled down seven rebounds, both team highs, while hitting 10 of 12 shots at the free throw line. Freshman Synia Johnson also reached double figures in her first collegiate contest, notching 10 points to go along with three steals in 29 minutes.

East Carolina entered the game at Towson shorthanded, playing without the services of 2019-20 American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year Lashonda Monk who averaged 14.9 points per game a season ago.

"It was definitely not the outcome we hoped for and expected coming into this game," McNeill said following the season opener. "Towson is a really good team with some kids that can flat out score the ball. We have to do a better job defensively. You can't give up 89 points and expect to win the game. It's just not acceptable. We did have some kids come off the bench and give us good minutes which was nice to see. We'll work on getting Lashonda healthy, but there aren't any excuses right now. We need to be better."

Scouting Virginia
Like East Carolina, Virginia began its 2020-21 season with a loss. The Cavaliers trekked down to Orlando to face off against fellow American Athletic Conference member UCF and fell by a 60-34 margin. Meg Jefferson paced UVA with eight points while Deja Bristol pulled down a team-best eight rebounds. The Cavaliers shot just 31.1 percent (14-of-45) from the field and turned the ball over 30 times but did out-rebound the Knights 33-28. A season ago, Virginia turned in a 13-17 overall record and 8-10 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play. The Cavaliers were selected to finish 15th of 15 teams by the ACC head coaches in the league's preseason poll. Nine-time WNBA All-Star Tina Thompson is in her third year as head coach of the Virginia women's basketball program and owns a record of 25-37 at the institution.

The Virginia Series
East Carolina and Virginia have met on the women's basketball hardwood four times dating back to 1980 and have split those contests. The Cavaliers, who were nationally ranked at the time, won the last encounter 80-67 in Charlottesville Dec. 6, 2008. The Pirates have won two of the last three, including a 64-62 victory at home Jan. 10, 1982.

Signature Defense
East Carolina ranked second nationally in steals and steals per game as well as third in turnovers forced last year. Early signs indicate that has little chance of changing this season as the Pirates notched 17 steals and caused 24 turnovers in the season opener at Towson.

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
Taniyah 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.

Up Next
East Carolina makes its 2020-21 home debut Thursday, Dec. 3, when it welcomes Southeastern Conference member Georgia to Greenville. The non-conference matchup is scheduled for a 4 p.m. tip and will be streamed live via ESPN+.

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Players Mentioned

Sierra DaCosta

Synia Johnson

Lashonda Monk

Taniyah Thompson

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