ECU Battles Liberty At Hall Of Fame Shootout

Game 11: East Carolina vs. Liberty
Date \| Time	December 17, 2021 \| 1:30 p.m. ET
Location	Charlotte, N.C. (Spectrum Center)
Game Program	Hoops Digest #1
Live Game Coverage	Stream: ESPN+ Radio: 107.9 WNCT \| TuneIn Radio Online
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Statistics	East Carolina \| Liberty
Game Notes	East Carolina \| Liberty \| The American
Record Book	East Carolina 2021-22 Record Book
Social Media	Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram \| YouTube \| #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Following a lengthy break in competition, East Carolina returns to the hardwood Friday afternoon when it faces off against Liberty in the first game of the Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout at the Spectrum Center in Charlotte. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:30 p.m.

The Pirates (8-2) extended their winning streak to four games last time they took the court, defeating North Carolina A&T 82-71 inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. The victory also marked the seventh straight at home to begin the campaign.

Vance Jackson led four East Carolina players in double figures with a career-high 23 points while J.J. Miles also found his way into double digits on the offensive end, scoring a season-best 20 points to give East Carolina two 20-point scorers in the same game for the first time since Jan. 25, 2020 – an 81-62 victory over Tulane in Greenville. Tristen Newton contributed his 13th-straight double figure scoring effort at 14 while Tremont Robinson-White chipped in with 11. Newton distributed eight assists while Miles fell just one rebound short of a double-double.

ECU shot the ball fairly well from the field, connecting on 27 of 59 attempts for a game total of 45.8 percent. The Pirates also drained 11 three-point field goals, reaching double figures in threes made for the second time this season. The Aggies tallied 28 buckets on 67 attempts (41.8 percent) but were outrebounded by East Carolina, 39-35. Both teams pulled down 13 offensive boards and scored 12 second-chance points apiece.

The Competition
Liberty (6-4) heads to Charlotte having won five of its last six games, including a 95-36 victory over Carver College at home in Lynchburg its last time out. The Flames rank third nationally in scoring defense, holding opponents to just 54.4 points per game. Darius McGhee paces the squad in scoring average (18.8) and has hit a team-best 36 three-point field goals while Blake Preston is shooting 61 percent from the field. Liberty was selected to win the Atlantic Sun Conference in the preseason coaches poll and has captured three-straight regular season and league tournament titles.

The Liberty Series
The Pirates lead the series with Liberty 5-3 but have lost three consecutive meetings with the Flames. ECU last defeated Liberty back on Nov. 28, 1999 in Lynchburg by an 80-56 margin.

North Carolina A&T Leftovers
East Carolina improved to 7-1 all time against North Carolina A&T ... The Pirates knocked down double-digit three-point field goals (11) for the second time this season ... East Carolina held a halftime lead for the eighth time in 10 games, improving to 7-1 in that scenario ... Freshman RJ Felton played a career-best 23 minutes ... The Pirates have won 18 of their last 20 non-conference games ... ECU uses its third different starting lineup of the season after Ludgy Debaut missed the contest due to personal reasons ... East Carolina was ahead by as many as 18 points and has owned a double-digit lead in all but one game this season (vs. Oklahoma) ... Tristen Newton has scored in double figures in 13-straight contests.

Against the Atlantic Sun Conference
ECU is 10-12 against current members of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Pirates last took on a member of the league Dec. 10, 2020 when they defeated North Florida 73-67 in Greenville.

Up Next
East Carolina wraps up its non-conference schedule Dec. 21 when it hosts Southern Miss at noon.

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Players Mentioned

Ludgy Debaut

RJ Felton

Vance Jackson

J.J. Miles

Tristen Newton

Tremont Robinson-White

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