Pirates Prep For Trip To Wake Forest

Game 5: East Carolina (2-2) at Wake Forest (4-0)
The Game	November 21 \\\ 6 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Live
Venue	LJVM Coliseum (Winston-Salem, N.C.)
Information	ECU Notes
2021-22 Statistics	East Carolina \| Wake Forest
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ TikTok \\\ #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Coming off a pair of blowout wins at home, the East Carolina women's basketball team will face a stiff test as the Pirates travel to take on ACC foe Wake Forest on Sunday night.

East Carolina (2-2) came out of a pair of road losses to start the season averaging just 49.5 points per game, but a return home got the Pirate offense going. ECU scored 81 points in an 81-52 victory over Gardner-Webb and followed it up with a 75-58 victory against Hampton. Taniyah Thompson has been the leader on offense, with the junior guard leading the Pirates in scoring three of the first four games and pouring in 21 points in the game she did not lead the team. Thompson is averaging 19.8 points per game, which is 44th in the nation and first in the AAC . Thompson has shot well from long-range, ranking 21st in the country with 11 three-point field goals and is making 52.4% of her shots from beyond the arc.

Behind Thompson, four other Pirates have scored in double-figures this season. Raven Johnson has done it in back-to-back home games, scoring 11 against Gardner-Webb and 10 against Hampton. Danae McNeal is second on the team in scoring, averaging 9.8 points, highlighted by her 23-point outburst against Gardner-Webb. Tiara Chambers and Da'Ja Green both reached double-figures for the first time this season against Hampton, scoring 11 and 10 points respectively. A large part of the offensive surge has been the Pirates sharing the ball, with a combined 42 assists in the two wins. Alexsia Rose leads the team with 15 assists, including a career-high eight against Hampton, while Green has 12.

Wake Forest (4-0) is off to a perfect start and the Demon Deacons have done it on the back of their defense. Wake Forest is giving up just 47.8 points per game and has not allowed a team to break the 50-point barrier since beating Mercer in the season opener. The Demon Deacons are coming off the only single-digit win of the season, beating Charlotte 55-49 behind 15 points from Elise Williams and 12 by Jewel Spear. It was the lowest scoring effort of the season for Spear, who is averaging 20.5 points this year. Spear has done her damage all over the floor, shooting .473 from the floor, .364 from beyond the arc and gotten to the free throw line 23 times, making 18 of them.

The Pirates hold a 7-4 all-time record against the Demon Deacons, including splitting two matchups since 2018. The series had not been played since 2004 before Wake Forest game to Greenville on Nov. 24, 2018 and the Pirates came away with a 70-61 victory, the first ECU win over an ACC opponent since 2007. Lashonda Monk and Raven Johnson each broke the 20-point barrier in that victory, the last time a pair of ECU teammates had scored 20-plus points in the same game before Thompson and McNeal did it against Gardner-Webb last week. The Pirates also forced 35 turnovers in that win. But Wake Forest got revenge on its own home floor a year later with the Demon Deacons running out to a 76-53 win. The Pirates are 2-2 in Winston-Salem, winning in 1982 and 2004 while losing in 1982 and 2019.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., on Sunday night at LJVM Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on ACC Network with Alex Perlman and Kelly Gramlich on the call and fans can follow the live stats here.

Players Mentioned

Tiara Chambers

Da'Ja Green

Raven Johnson

Danae McNeal

Lashonda Monk

Alexsia Rose

Taniyah Thompson

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