Pirates Travel To VCU

Game 8: East Carolina (4-3) at VCU (3-2)
The Game	December 1 \\\ 6 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Live
Venue	Siegel Center (Richmond, Va.)
Information	ECU Notes
2021-22 Statistics	East Carolina \| VCU
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ TikTok \\\ #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – After moving above .500 this season, the East Carolina women's basketball team will open the month of December with a trip to VCU for a Wednesday night battle.

East Carolina (4-3) sandwiched a pair of home victories around the Thanksgiving holidays to move above .500 for the first time this season. The Pirates looked to be cruising in the second of those wins when they led Campbell by 20 at halftime of Sunday's game, but the Camels shot 8-of-10 from three in the third quarter to cut the Pirate lead to just four. Eventually, East Carolina saw a pair of blocks from Tiara Chambers as well as some key offensive plays from Alexsia Rose to hold on for a 76-66 victory, making ECU 4-0 at home this season.

Taniyah Thompson led the Pirates with 19 points against the Camels and she is averaging a team-high 16.3 points, which ranks second in the AAC. Da'Ja Green had her best game as a Pirate, setting season-highs in points (13) and rebounds (seven). Rose continued to provide a spark off the bench, scoring seven points and adding seven assists against the Camels. She leads East Carolina with 29 assists, which is third in the conference while also ranking second in the AAC in steals with 15. Chambers set a new career-high with five blocks against Campbell and she now has 66 rejections in her career, ranking tenth in East Carolina history.

The Pirates have been a different team offensively when playing in Minges Coliseum versus playing on the road. The Pirates are shooting 46.3% from the floor in Minges Coliseum and are averaging 76.8 points. On the road though, ECU shoots just 32.6% and averages 50.3 points. The Pirates are also averaging a +6.8 rebounding margin and 17.8 assists at home versus -1.0 and 9.3, respectively, on the road. The Pirate defense has traveled though, with the Pirates creating steals and blocks by the bunches. ECU ranks 12th in the NCAA in steals and first in the AAC with 83, while also ranking in the top-40 of both turnovers forced (22nd, 23.14) and turnover margin (37th, +5.43). The Pirates also lead the conference and rank 26th in the country in blocked shots, rejecting 35 shots this season.

VCU (3-2) is coming off a 1-1 trip to the Bahamas for the Goombay Splash tournament. The Rams beat Washington 60-47 before falling to North Carolina 72-59. VCU played its first three games at home in the Siegel Center, losing to Middle Tennessee 54-46 before beating NC Central (66-37) and Old Dominion (71-48). Three different Rams are averaging double figures in scoring, led by Taya Robinson's 13.2 points. Sarah Te-Biasu is scoring 11.4 points per game while Janika Griffith-Wallace is averaging 10.0. As a team, the Rams are currently fourth in the country in opponent's three-point field goal percentage, allowing teams to shoot just 17.3% from beyond the arc and 25th in scoring defense, allowing just 51.6 points per game. VCU is also in the top-50 of the NCAA in turnovers, ranking 36th with just 71 miscues this season, and 42nd in field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot 34.1% from the floor.

East Carolina is 15-12 against VCU in the all-time series, including a come-from-behind 58-55 victory last season. The Pirates trailed 48-42 heading into the fourth quarter, but outscored the Rams 16-7 in the final frame to pull out the victory. That gave East Carolina a 1-1 record since Kim McNeill took over the head coaching reigns prior to the 2019-20 season. VCU took a 53-40 victory the last time the two teams met in Richmond, which came in 2019. Prior to that meeting, the two schools had not played since 2012. East Carolina is 5-7 all-time in Richmond, with the last win coming in 2012.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., on Wednesday night in the Siegel Center. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and fans can follow the live stats here.

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Players Mentioned

Tiara Chambers

Da'Ja Green

Alexsia Rose

Taniyah Thompson

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