ECU Hosts Southern Miss In Non-Conference Finale

Game 12: East Carolina vs. Southern Miss
Date \| Time	December 21, 2021 \| Noon ET
Location	Greenville, N.C. (Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum)
Game Program	Hoops Digest #1
Live Game Coverage	Stream: ESPN+ Radio: 107.9 WNCT \| TuneIn Radio Online
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Statistics	East Carolina \| Southern Miss
Game Notes	East Carolina \| The American
Record Book	East Carolina 2021-22 Record Book
Social Media	Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram \| YouTube \| #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina wraps up its non-conference slate Tuesday afternoon, playing host to Southern Miss inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. Tipoff is scheduled for noon as the contest is the first of a doubleheader with the women's squad which takes on Maryland-Eastern Shore at 3 p.m.

The Pirates are 7-0 in Greenville this season.

ECU led Atlantic Sun Conference preseason favorite Liberty at the half Friday afternoon at the Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout in Charlotte, but Darius McGhee scored 16 of his game-high 27 points in the second stanza to lift the Flames to a 74-64 victory.

Vance Jackson paced East Carolina with his third double-double of the season, tallying 15 points and 10 rebounds. Tristen Newton scored in double figures for the 14th-straight game, also collecting a team-high 15, while J.J. Miles was the third Pirate in double digits offensively with 11 points.

The Pirates held a three-point lead at the break, but shot just 32 percent in the second half while Liberty drained 15 of 27 (55.6 percent) on the way to the comeback victory. The squads ended up even on the glass with 36 rebounds apiece, but ECU turned the ball over 15 times and was outscored 38-24 in the paint.

Newton leads East Carolina in scoring average (17.5 points per game) and ranks among the American Athletic Conference statistical leaders in several categories, including field goal percentage (third/.489), assists per game (third/4.9) and free throw percentage (third/.868). Collectively, the Pirates lead the circuit in assists per game (15.6) and are third in three-point field goals made per game (8.3).

The Competition
Southern Miss (4-7) carries a five-game losing streak to Greenville, falling to Louisiana-Monroe on the road last time out by a 74-65 margin. Freshman Rashad Bolden tallied 19 points and the Golden Eagles shot the ball at a 46.7-percent clip from the floor, but Southern Miss turned the ball over 18 times and was outscored 38-24 in the paint. The Golden Eagles are 0-5 on the road this season with losses at TCU, Montana, South Alabama, Southern Illinois and ULM.

The Southern Miss Series
East Carolina trails the series with Southern Miss by a 16-7 margin and has lost the previous 11 meetings. The Pirates last defeated the Golden Eagles Feb. 4, 2009 in Greenville as Brock Young netted 17 points and Darius Morrow produced a double-double of 10 points and 11 rebounds. ECU also turned the ball over just six times in the contest.

Liberty Leftovers
The Pirates fell to 5-4 against the Flames ... ECU dropped to 1-3 away from Minges Coliseum this season ... Alanzo Frink returned to action and scored eight points after missing the previous three contests due to injury ... Jackson now leads the American Athletic Conference with three double-doubles ... East Carolina held a halftime advantage for the ninth time in 11 games and is now 7-2 in that scenario ... The Pirates made their fewest amount of three-point field goals (5) in a game this season ... East Carolina was ahead by as many as 10 points and has owned a double-digit lead in all but one outing this season (vs. Oklahoma) ... Tristen Newton has scored in double figures in 14-straight contests.

Against Conference USA
The Pirates are 65-118 against current members of Conference USA. ECU was a men's basketball member of the league starting with the 2001-02 season before joining the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2014-15 campaign.

Up Next
East Carolina kicks off its AAC schedule by hosting Wichita State Dec. 29 at 7 p.m.

Players Mentioned

Alanzo Frink

Vance Jackson

J.J. Miles

Tristen Newton

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