Pirates Return Home To Host Coppin State

Tuesday, November 23

Greenville, N.C.

6 PM

East Carolina University

Coppin State

Photo by: Andrew Yates

November 22, 2021 | Women's Basketball

ECU Notes

Game 6: Coppin State (2-2) at East Carolina (2-3)
The Game	November 23 \\\ 6 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Live
Venue	Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
Information	ECU Notes
2021-22 Statistics	East Carolina
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ TikTok \\\ #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Holding a perfect record at home this season, the East Carolina women's basketball team will try to stay undefeated in Minges Coliseum as the Pirates host Coppin State on Tuesday night.

East Carolina (2-3) is still looking for its first road victory of the season after the Pirates fell at Wake Forest 73-52 on Sunday night. The Pirates took a 16-13 lead after the first quarter, but Wake Forest pulled away in the second and third periods to take the victory. Danae McNeal led the Pirates with 13 points, the second time this season she has scored in double-figures. Alexsia Rose had her second straight game of leading the Pirates in assists, handing out five dimes after a career-high eight against Hampton. The sophomore guard also set a career-high in scoring, finishing with 11 points. It was just the first time all season that Taniyah Thompson did not score in double-figures, finishing with four points.

Thompson continues to lead the Pirates in scoring, averaging 16.6 points each night. The junior sharopshooter is also second on the team with 10 steals and third on the team in rebounding with 3.6 per game. McNeal is the other Pirate averaging at least 10 points, scoring 10.4 points. Tiara Chambers leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 5.2 boards after grabbing seven against Wake Forest. Thanks to strong performances each of the last two games, Rose now leads the team with 20 assists and 11 steals. The Pirates have used their length to alter shots, with Chambers leading the team with five blocks while Xianna Josephs, Morgan Moseley, and Tylar Bennett have four rejections each.

Coppin State (2-2) started the season off with wins over La Salle and William & Mary, but the Eagles have been blown out each of the past two games, falling to Rhode Island (74-45) and No. 24 Virginia Tech (85-32). It will already be the fourth road game of the season for Coppin State, with just the William & Mary game taking place in Baltimore. Freshman Jaia Alexander leads the Eagles in scoring, averaging 20.0 points in just 28.0 minutes. Alexander does most of her damage inside the three-point arc, shooting 26-65 (.400) from the floor and 26-31 (.839) from the free throw line. Alexander also leads the team in rebounding, pulling down 6.8 boards. Aliyah Lawson and Jalynda Salley are tied for second on the team in scoring, each averaging 7.8 points while Colleen Bucknor grabs 6.5 rebounds.

It will be the fifth meeting between East Carolina and Coppin State, but the first since Dec. 6, 2003. ECU holds a 3-1 record against the Eagles, but is just 1-1 in Minges Coliseum. Coppin State left Greenville with a 74-60 win in 1993 while the Pirates took a 68-59 victory in 2003. It will be the first of three matchups against MEAC teams for the Pirates, with East Carolina also slated to host NC Central and UMES later in December. It will also be the third contest against a MEAC opponent since Kim McNeill took the head coaching reins prior to the 2019-20 season. East Carolina beat UMES 57-42 in 2019-20, but fell to Howard 67-51 that same season.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., inside Minges Coliseum. Chris Edwards and Brittany Hoyt will be on the call for ESPN+ and fans can follow the live stats here.