ECU Meets No. 21/22 USF In Clash Of AAC Unbeatens

Game Nine: East Carolina at No. 21/22 USF
The Game	Jan. 2 \\\ 4:00 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch
Venue	Yuengling Center (Tampa, Fla.)
Information	Game Notes \\\ Record Book \\\ 2020-21 Quick Facts
Statistics	East Carolina \\\ USF
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ TikTok \\\ #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The top two teams in the American Athletic Conference standings match up Saturday evening when East Carolina takes on No. 21/22 USF inside the Yuengling Center.

The contest is scheduled to tip at 4 p.m. and will be streamed live via ESPN+ with Jim Louk (play by play) and Leah Secondo (analyst) on the call.

Both the Pirates and Bulls are 3-0 in league play. East Carolina has emerged victorious in four-straight outings while the Bulls are riding a five-game winning streak.

ECU returns to action for the first time since defeating Tulane 72-64 back on Dec. 22 in Greenville. Taniyah Thompson netted a season-high 27 points and corralled six rebounds, earning AAC Player of the Week accolades for the first time in her career. She was one of four Pirate players to score in double figures as Sierra DaCosta, Lashonda Monk and Maddie Moore netted 18, 12 and 10 points respectively.

Moore, a UNC Charlotte transfer, scored in double figures for the second time in as many games this season after receiving eligibility last week from the NCAA. Dominique Claytor put together a monster effort on the glass, pulling down a career-high 15 rebounds. She also dished out six assists and collected two steals.

The Pirates have four players averaging double figures in the scoring column in Monk (15.3), Thompson (12.4), DaCosta (11.8) and Moore (10.0). As a team, East Carolina is putting up 60.1 points, 33.6 rebounds, 9.8 assists, 12.5 steals and 3.1 blocks per game while shooting the ball at a 36.6-percent clip from the field.

ECU leads the American Conference in steals per game and turnover margin (+6.25) while ranking sixth nationally in total steals (100), 16th in steals per game, 19th in turnovers forced per game (21.88) and 20th in turnover margin.

Scouting USF
In addition to its 3-0 league record, USF is 6-1 overall after picking up a 63-35 road victory at Tulsa Wednesday. The Bulls have been ranked as high as 20th nationally and boast a signature home win over then No. 6 Mississippi State in overtime back on Dec. 5. USF, the AAC preseason favorite, is averaging 71.3 points, 47.9 rebounds, 17.0 assists, 5.1 steals and 4.4 blocks per game. The Bulls also sport a .382 field goal percentage, +18.0 scoring margin and +10.4 rebounding margin. Sydni Harvey leads the squad in scoring average at 11.6 points per game while Elena Tsineke is close behind at 10.0 points per outing. Bethy Mununga is a force down low, putting up 9.0 points and 10.7 rebounds a game. USF's roster reflects an international influence as 12 members of the squad hail from outside the United States.

The USF Series
East Carolina is 6-10 against USF in a series that dates back to 1985. The Bulls have won each of the last eight meetings, including an 81-52 victory last season in Tampa. The last Pirate victory over USF occurred in 2015 when ECU upset the No. 25 Bulls 65-64 inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

Back-To-Back Congrats
Monk and Thompson have earned the last two American Athletic Conference Player of the Week awards, marking the first time in program history two Pirate players have garnered the accolade two consecutive times.

Streak Speak
East Carolina's current four-game winning streak is the longest for the program since Dec. 13-21, 2018 when the Pirates knocked off Liberty, USC Upstate, Longwood and South Carolina State in succession. Additionally, the three-game conference winning streak in the first for ECU since last season when the Pirates defeated Memphis, Tulsa and Temple from Feb. 15-22. East Carolina is shooting for its first 4-0 start to league play since the 2009-10 squad turned aside Marshall, Southern Miss, UCF and Houston to kickstart its Conference USA slate.

Signature Defense
After allowing 89 points to Towson in the season opener, East Carolina has done a great job of keeping its foes off of the scoreboard. In their last seven games, the Pirates have been limiting the opposition to just 60.1 points per contest. Included in the stretch are three teams from the "Power Five" leagues in Virginia, Georgia and Duke as well as three American Conference opponents.

Up Next
ECU welcomes Temple to Greenville Wednesday, Jan. 6, for an American Athletic Conference showdown inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

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Players Mentioned

Dominique Claytor

Sierra DaCosta

Lashonda Monk

Maddie Moore

Taniyah Thompson

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