Pirates Tangle With Duke Saturday In Durham

Game Four: East Carolina at Duke
The Game	Dec. 5 \\\ Noon \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venue	Cameron Indoor Stadium (Durham, N.C.)
Information	Game Notes \\\ Record Book \\\ 2020-21 Quick Facts
Statistics	East Carolina \\\ Duke
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ TikTok \\\ #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina wraps up a three-game stretch against "Power Five" opponents when it makes the short trip over to Durham Saturday afternoon for a non-conference matchup with Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The contest is slated for a noon tipoff and will be streamed live via ACC Network Extra. Spectator tickets are unavailable due to COVID-19 protocols.

ECU plays its second game this season against a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, having previously defeated Virginia 54-51 in Charlottesville back on Nov. 29.

The Pirates enter the contest at 1-2 following a 66-45 setback to SEC member Georgia in Thursday's home opener. Preseason All-AAC First-Team selection Lashonda Monk made her season debut against the Bulldogs and did so in style, scoring a game-high 17 points to go along with four rebounds and three steals.

Sophomore guard Taniyah Thompson and graduate guard Sierra DaCosta are also scoring in double figures early on in the season at 13.3 and 12.0 points per game. Junior forward Tiara Chambers has been a force inside, putting up 7.3 points and 7.0 rebounds a contest.

ECU ranks in the top half of the AAC in a number of categories through games of Dec. 3, including second in steals per game (13.7) and turnover margin (+6.0), as well as fourth in offensive rebounds per game (15.3) and free throw percentage (.667). Chambers paces the league thus far in offensive rebounds per game (5.0) while DaCosta checks in at fourth in free throw percentage (.813).

Scouting Duke
Duke is off to a 2-0 start to its 2020-21 campaign with home victories over regional foes Longwood (94-64) and Western Carolina (83-56). Six different Blue Devils are scoring in double figures, paced by Vanessa de Jesus and Miela Goodchild at 15.0 points per game. Onome Akinbode-James leads the squad in rebounding average (13.5) while Jade Williams has dished out a team-best 14 assists. As a unit, Duke is shooting the ball at a 50.8-percent clip from the field and averaging 50.5 rebounds per outing. The Blue Devils are out-scoring their foes by 28.5 points per game and out-rebounding their adversaries by 21.5 a contest. Former WNBA and Olympic Champion Kara Lawson is in her first season as head coach at Duke.

The Duke Series
East Carolina owns a 9-7 advantage in the series with Duke, but the Blue Devils have won the last six encounters dating back to 1987. The last Pirate victory over Duke occurred in 1982 when the Pirates took a 79-57 decision in Greenville. ECU has lost five of the seven matchups between the squads in Durham.

Challenge Yourself
East Carolina's run of three-straight games against "Power Five" opponents is the first for the program since the 1994-95 season when the Pirates tussled with then No. 4 North Carolina, Clemson and NC State. ECU would go on to lose all three of those contests.

Dazzling Debuts
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.

Low Points
The Pirates limited Virginia to just two points in the first quarter Nov. 29. That marks the second time under head coach Kim McNeill that East Carolina has held an opponent to two points in a quarter - the other was the second stanza in a 59-42 win over Tulsa Feb. 19, 2020 at Minges Coliseum.

Creating Havoc
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 have notched 41 steals and collected 71 turnovers.

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 wraps up non-conference play Wednesday, Dec. 9, with a home game against Atlantic 10 outfit VCU. The Pirates and Rams are scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m., and the contest will be streamed live via ESPN+.

Players Mentioned

Tiara Chambers

Sierra DaCosta

Synia Johnson

Lashonda Monk

Taniyah Thompson

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