ECU Hosts Tulane In AAC Opener

Game 13: Tulane at East Carolina
Date \| Time	January 5, 2022 \| 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 \| Tulane
Game Notes	East Carolina \| Tulane \| The American
Record Book	East Carolina 2021-22 Record Book
Social Media	Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram \| YouTube \| #OnePirateNation

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina returns to action for the first time since Dec. 21 when it welcomes Tulane to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum Wednesday night for the Pirates' American Athletic Conference opener. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m.

ECU had its last two scheduled contests against Wichita State and South Florida postponed due to COVID-19 developments within its program.

Last time the Pirates took the court, they wrapped up non-conference play with a 68-67 home victory over Southern Miss. Trailing by as many as nine points with under eight minutes remaining, East Carolina ended the contest on a 19-9 run.

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.

ECU 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 is averaging 5.8 rebounds per game, 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) and three-point field goal percentage (.365).

East Carolina puts its unbeaten home record on the line Wednesday, having won its first eight games in Greenville for the first time since the 2000-01 season.

The Competition
Tulane (5-6, 2-0 AAC) has certainly caught the attention of the league early on, picking up wins over Memphis and Cincinnati to sit in a first-place tie with SMU. Freshman guard Jalen Cook, who is putting up an American Conference second-best 19.7 points per game, was named the AAC Player of the Week Monday after averaging 22.5 points per game and connecting at a 50.0-percent clip from the field. The Green Wave leads the conference in three-point field goal percentage (.375) but ranks last in scoring defense – giving up 72.5 points per game.

The Tulane Series
ECU leads the series with Tulane 16-15 and has won six of the last seven meetings. The teams split the season series in 2020-21 as the Pirates defeated the Green Wave 68-58 inside Minges Coliseum Dec. 22 before the Green Wave responded with a 60-56 victory in New Orleans on January 2.

Eighth Season in the American
East Carolina is in its eighth men's basketball season as a member of the American Athletic Conference after spending 13 years as part of Conference USA. The Pirates look to eclipse the six-win mark in league play for the first time since joining the circuit.

Up Next
ECU plays the first of two-straight road games Saturday, Jan. 8 at Temple.

Players Mentioned

Vance Jackson

Tristen Newton

Brandon Suggs

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