ECU Tries To Bounce Back Against NC Central

Game 10: NC Central (0-6) at East Carolina (4-5)
The Game	December 6 \\\ 6 p.m. \\\ Live Stats \\\ Watch Live
Venue	Minges Coliseum (Greenville, N.C.)
2021-22 Statistics	East Carolina \| NC Central
Information	ECU Notes \| NC Central Notes
Social Media	Twitter \\\ Instagram \\\ TikTok \\\ #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – With a ten-day break for final exams looming, the East Carolina women's basketball will try to head into that interlude on a high note as the Pirates host NC Central on Monday night.

East Carolina (4-5) suffered its first home loss of the year, falling to Towson 66-51 on Saturday afternoon. Xianna Josephs led the Pirates in scoring, finishing with a career-high 10 points on 8-of-8 shooting from the free throw line. East Carolina dominated on the glass, outrebounding Towson 57-42, but struggled shooting the ball, finishing just 19-of-75 (.253) from the floor and 0-of-8 from beyond the arc. Alexsia Rose set a new career-high with seven rebounds while Tylar Bennett also had seven boards.

Taniyah Thompson continues to lead East Carolina in scoring, averaging 14.7 points, having reached double figures in seven of nine games. Tiara Chambers leads the team in rebounding (5.0 rpg) and blocks (13). Rose has a team-high 33 assists and is third on the team in steals with 16, behind Danae McNeal (18) and Thompson (17). As a team, the Pirates are tenth in the country in steals with 99 and 28th in turnovers forced, with 21.78 per game. The Pirates have also done a good job of getting to the free throw line, ranking 19th in the country in free throw attempts at 175.

NC Central (0-6) is still looking for its first victory of the season after starting the season with six losses, all on the road. The Eagles have had a week off since falling at Elon 73-51. NC Central has one shared opponent with ECU, falling to VCU 66-37. The Eagles have struggled on both ends, scoring just 53.7 points and shooting 30.4% from the floor, while allowing opponents to score 80.3 points and shoot 42.8%. Former Pirate Necole Hope, who played for ECU from 2017 to 2020, leads NC Central in scoring, averaging 11.7 points and is third on the team in rebounding, grabbing 5.8 boards. Diamond Thomas is the other Eagle scoring in double-figures, averaging 10.4 points. Ashlyn Lockard (6.6 rpg) and Tianna Carter (6.2 rpg) are the team's top rebounders while Paris McBride hands out a team-high 2.8 assists. The Eagles do rank 77th in the country in turnovers forced, forcing opponents into 19.83 miscues each night.

It will be the first meeting between East Carolina and NC Central since 2017. The Pirates are 7-0 all-time against the Eagles, including the last six meetings at home. The last game between the two schools was a 73-61 East Carolina victory on Dec. 14, 2017. Raven Johnson had 10 points and five rebounds for the Pirates off the bench. NC Central will be the third of four MEAC teams on ECU's schedule. The Pirates beat Coppin State and Howard at home and will host Maryland Eastern Shore later in the month.

Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m., on Monday in Minges Coliseum. The game will be broadcast on ESPN+ and fans can follow the live stats here.

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Players Mentioned

Tylar Bennett

Tiara Chambers

Necole Hope

Raven Johnson

Xianna Josephs

Danae McNeal

Alexsia Rose

Taniyah Thompson

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