Pirates Set To Challenge Shockers In AAC Opener

Game 13: East Carolina vs. Wichita State
Date \| Time	December 29, 2021 \| 7:00 p.m. ET
Location	Greenville, N.C. (Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum)
Game Program	Hoops Digest #2
Live Game Coverage	Stream: ESPN+ Radio: 107.9 WNCT \| TuneIn Radio Online
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Statistics	East Carolina \| Wichita State
Game Notes	East Carolina \| Wichita State \| The American
Record Book	East Carolina 2021-22 Record Book
Social Media	Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram \| YouTube \| #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Having won five of its last six games, East Carolina begins American Athletic Conference play Wednesday night when the league's defending regular season champion Wichita State pays a visit to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and the contest will be streamed live via ESPN+.

Trailing by as much as nine points with under eight minutes to play versus Southern Miss in their last outing, the Pirates ended the game on a 19-9 run to post a 68-67 home victory Dec. 21 to wrap up non-conference play.

Tristen Newton tallied a game-best 22 points and has scored in double figures in 15-straight contests. Vance Jackson chipped with 15 points and Brandon Suggs used a strong second-half effort to end up with 11.

East Carolina shot the ball well in the second frame, hitting 16 of 29 attempts (55.2 percent), while ending up at 39.7 percent for the day (39.7 percent). The Golden Eagles finished at exactly 50 percent (28 of 56) from the floor, but were awarded just three free throw attempts – all of which they hit. The Pirates enjoyed the upper hand in the rebounding column by a 34-32 margin and scored 10 second-chance points as a result of 13 offensive boards. ECU also pocketed seven steals and forced Southern Miss into 14 turnovers.

Newton, who paces the squad in scoring average (17.9) is one of three Pirates netting double figures, joining Jackson (10.8) and Suggs (10.5). Jackson, who leads the team in rebounding average (5.8), also tops the AAC in double-doubles (three) and has nailed an East Carolina-best 26 three-point field goals. Collectively, ECU ranks second among league sides in assists per game (15.4) and third in assist-turnover ratio (1.2) as well as three-point field goals made per game (8.0).

The Competition
Wichita State (9-3) capped its non-conference schedule with a 102-66 rout of winless Prairie View A&M at home on Dec. 22. Tyson Etienne led a group of six double-digit scorers with 20 points and the Shockers reached the century mark for the first time since November, 2019. Kenny Pohto added 14 points, nine rebounds and three blocks to earn AAC freshman of the week honors for the second time this season. Wichita State is 2-0 on the road this season with wins over Missouri and Oklahoma State. The Shockers have been excellent on the defensive end (36th nationally, per KenPom). They force turnovers on 19.1% of opponent possessions (40th) and block 14.7% of all shots (25th). Foes average just 61.8 points and are shooting 39.4% from the field and 28.8% from three. AAC preseason player of the year Etienne averages a team-high 14.7 points and just over 2.5 threes-per-game. He's topped 20 on three occasions, most recently against Prairie View A&M.

The Wichita State Series
East Carolina has yet to record a victory over Wichita State, dropping the previous five matchups that have all occurred since the Shockers joined the American Athletic Conference prior to the 2017-18 campaign. ECU and Wichita State did not meet last season thanks to pauses in team activities due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Southern Miss Leftovers
The Pirates recorded their first win over Southern Miss since 2009, improving to 8-16 in the series ... ECU is off to an 8-0 start at home for the first time since the 2000-01 season ... The Golden Eagles' three free throw attempts tied for the fewest by an opponent in the Joe Dooley era ... The Pirates trailed at halftime for just the third time this season, but has rallied to win two of those contests ... East Carolina is now 3-0 in games decided by two points or less ... The Pirates made their fewest amount of three-point field goals (4) in a game this season ... East Carolina was ahead by as many as 11 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 15-straight contests.

Up Next
ECU rings in 2022 with a New Years Day contest at South Florida. The Pirates and Bulls will tip off at Noon inside the Yuengling Center in Tampa.

Players Mentioned

Vance Jackson

Tristen Newton

Brandon Suggs

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