Pirates Edged By South Carolina State, 73-68

Tuesday, November 29

Greenville, N.C.

7:00 P.M.

East Carolina University

5-3,0-0AAC

South Carolina State

1-7,0-0MEAC

South Carolina St.

East Carolina

November 29, 2022 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Lesown Hallums scored 22 points and grabbed six rebounds as South Carolina State defeated East Carolina 73-68 on Tuesday night at Williams Arena in Minges Coliseum.

The Pirates (5-3) came into the contest looking to get back in the win column but were dealt their second straight loss and first loss at home of the season instead. Four Pirates scored in double figures, led by Ezra Ausar with 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting and seven rebounds off the bench. RJ Felton added 14 points and Brandon Johnson and Javon Small each had 12 points.

In addition to Hallums, Cameron Jones scored 13 points and Rakeim Gary added 12 points for the Bulldogs (1-7).

ECU raced off to a fast start, opening the game on a 10-2 run but the Bulldogs followed suit with a 13-0 run of their own and held the Pirates without a point for almost six minutes to take a six-point lead with 9:53 left in the first half. The Pirates would score off of back-to-back Bulldog turnovers at the tail end of the first half to get within one, but South Carolina State answered with a three in the closing seconds to take a 39-35 lead at the break.

The Pirates struggled to find a spark coming out of the locker room, going 1-for-5 from the floor in the early stages in the second half to find themselves staring at an 11-point deficit. ECU would go on an 11-2 run to get within two points with 3:08 remaining to make the Bulldogs sweat but were unable to take the lead as South Carolina State hit timely free throws down the stretch to secure their first win of the year.

ECU shot 47 percent from the floor compared to 46 percent by South Carolina State but the Pirates only shot 7-of-22 from behind the arc and gave up 11 second chance points.

Up Next
The Pirates will conclude their brief two-game homestand against Campbell on Friday, Dec. 2 at 7 p.m.