ECU Opens Myrtle Beach Invite Against Oklahoma

Game 4: East Carolina vs. Oklahoma
Date \| Time	November 18, 2021 \| 7:00 p.m. ET
Location	Conway, S.C. (HTC Center)
Game Program	Hoops Digest #1
Live Game Coverage	Broadcast: ESPNU Radio: 107.9 WNCT \| TuneIn Radio Online
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Statistics	East Carolina \| Oklahoma
Game Notes	East Carolina \| Oklahoma \| The American
Record Book	East Carolina 2021-22 Record Book
Social Media	Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram \| YouTube \| #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina attempts to keep its unbeaten record intact Thursday when it opens the Myrtle Beach Invitational against Oklahoma inside Coastal Carolina University's HTC Center. The game is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start and will be broadcast on ESPNU.

The Pirates picked up a 95-79 home victory over Western Carolina in their last contest, putting up a big first half in which they scored 59 points and shot 68.8 percent from the field. The 95 points marked the most in a single game in head coach Joe Dooley's tenure.

Tristen Newton exploded for a career-high 30 points while also pacing the squad in rebounds (six) and assists (six). Brandon Suggs collected 15 points and six boards of his own and Tremont Robinson-White contributed 14 points and five steals in 21 minutes off the bench.

East Carolina hit 34 of 66 from the floor to end up firing at a 51.5-percent clip. The Pirates forced 19 Western Carolina turnovers, converting those miscues into 25 points, and outscored the Catamounts 48-18 in the paint. Western Carolina finished the contest shooting 41.3 percent (26-for-63) while also holding a slight edge in the rebounding column by a 37-33 margin.

Through games of Nov. 15, ECU ranks first among American Athletic Conference squads in assists per game, second in scoring offense and third in field goal percentage defense and assist/turnover ratio. Newton was tabbed to the league's first weekly honor roll of the season, averaging 19.7 points per game and shooting 54.1 percent from the field.

The Competition
Oklahoma is 2-0 under first-year head coach Porter Moser, owning victories over Northwestern State and UTSA. Tanner Groves paces three Sooners who are scoring double figures on average with 18.0 points per game while Jalen Hill is putting up 10.5 points and a team-best 9.0 rebounds per contest. Oklahoma is shooting .568 from the field and out-scoring opponents by 35 points per game. Thursday's meeting marks the first with the Sooners in program history

Western Carolina Leftovers
East Carolina improved to 3-0 for the second-straight season ... The Pirates led for all but 2:04 of the contest ... ECU's 26-point halftime lead was the largest under Dooley ... Newton paced the Pirates in points, rebounds and assists for the second-straight game ... Newton is the first East Carolina player to score 30 points in a contest since Jayden Gardner netted 35 at UCF back on Jan. 13, 2019 ... ECU has won 13-straight non-conference games dating back to a 79-67 victory over Campbell Dec. 14, 2019 ... Western Carolina attempted 46 three-pointers - the most by an opponent in the Dooley era.

Against The Big 12
The Pirates are 3-13 against current members of the Big 12 Conference. ECU will take on its first Big 12 program since losing to Iowa State 80-73 back on Dec. 29, 1980.

On This Date
East Carolina is 5-2 in games played on Nov. 18, most recently defeating Norfolk State 76-74 in Greenville during the 2013-14 campaign.

Up Next
The Pirates will face off against either Indiana State or Old Dominion Friday at a time to be determined.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Jayden Gardner

Tristen Newton

Tremont Robinson-White

Brandon Suggs

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