Pirates Tripped Up By Wake Forest in Defensive Struggle

Thursday, November 10

Greenville, N.C.

6 PM

East Carolina University

1-1,0-0AAC

Wake Forest

2-0,0-0ACC

Wake Forest

East Carolina

November 10, 2022 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina women's basketball team fell to the Wake Forest Demon Deacons 57-46 in a defensive slugfest Thursday in Minges Coliseum.

The story of the game ought be told best by quarters. After getting out of the gates slow and falling behind 18-11 through a quarter of play, the Pirates ratcheted up the defensive pressure to a fever pitch. ECU held the Demon Deacons to only two points in that second quarter and a mere 1-14 from the field (0-7 from deep). A Danae McNeal takeaway - one of four on the day for the senior - led to a Synia Johnson lay-in with 20 seconds to play in the half and leveled the score at 20 going into the break.

The game was broken up, however, in the third quarter when Wake Forest simply caught fire. The Deacons went 10-13 from the field and hit four bombs from behind the arc to break open up a 17-point lead. Jewel Spear was as advertised for Wake and played a key role in blossoming the Demon Deacons' lead, finishing with 19 points and a stunning 11-14 from the charity stripe.

Speaking of, it was the freebies that will haunt the Pirates. In an 11-point loss, East Carolina missed 16 foul shots, only 13-29. Of those, 13 attempts came in the fourth quarter with only five going through the net.

The Pirates won the final period 15-9 but left points and chances on the board as the Demon Deacons held on to take care of business. And so it was, an 11-point loss for a young ECU group which simply could not buy a basket on Thursday night. A 31.3 percent clip from the field and a mere 17.6 percent from deep spelled trouble for a team trying to come into its own on the offensive end of the court.

East Carolina, which prides itself on the defense, turned in another fine game on that side of the ball, registering 10 steals and forcing 17 turnovers. The Pirates' pressure made Wake uncomfortable at time but scoring chances led to fouls which led to missed free throws. In addition to McNeal's pilfers, Alexsia Rose contributed another three steals to go with her season-opening five-steal performance Monday.

Up Next
The good news for the Pirates is that they get to stay at home for a 2 p.m. matinee tipoff against the UNCW Seahawks on Sunday. Tickets can be purchased here.