Pirates Host Temple On Wednesday To Open AAC Play

Game 14: Temple (6-7) at East Carolina (9-4)
Date \| Time	December 28, 2022 \| 7:00 p.m. ET
Location	Greenville, N.C. \| Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum (7,100)
Game Program	Hoops Digest #3
Coverage	Stream: ESPN+ Radio: 107.9 WNCT
Live Stats	Statbroadcast
Statistics	East Carolina \| Temple \| The American
Game Notes	East Carolina \| Temple \| The American
Record Book	East Carolina 2022-23 Record Book
Social Media	Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram \| YouTube \| #PurpleReign

GREENVILLE, N.C. – East Carolina begins its ninth season of American Athletic Conference play on Wednesday night when the Pirates welcome Temple to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

The game is scheduled to tip at 7 p.m. and will be streamed via ESPN+ with Patrick Johnson and Si Seymour on the call.

Javon Small leads the Pirates in scoring and assists with 17.1 and 5.9 per game respectively. Brandon Johnson is averaging 12.7 points per game and leads the team in rebounding with 9.1 per game.

The Pirates are seeking to win their third straight conference opener and ECU won its first home conference contest in four straight seasons with the last loss coming against UCF on Dec. 31, 2017.

Last Time Out
Brandon Johnson scored 16 points and grabbed 15 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season as East Carolina defeated High Point 60-49 on Wednesday night at Williams Arena in Minges Coliseum. Ezra Ausar added 15 points for the Pirates, who reached nine wins to conclude non-conference play for the second consecutive season. Javon Small finished with an impressive stat line of 12 points, nine rebounds and eight assists. ECU outscored High Point on the fast break 26-11 and the Pirates never allowed their opponent to take a lead for the second straight game.

Scouting the Owls
Temple is the midst of a three-game losing skid after falling at home 86-78 to UMES on Dec. 20. The Owls have been streaky thus far as they rattled off four straight victories prior to their current losing streak. Khalif Battle leads the Owls in scoring with 18.7 points per game, which ranks third in the American. Damian Dunn and Jamille Reynolds round out the Owls that average double figure scoring numbers at 14.7 and 11.1 respectively.

Series History
Temple leads the series with East Carolina 9-4 as the Owls won both meetings last season.

Up Next
East Carolina treks west to take on Wichita State on Dec. 31 at 4 p.m. on ESPN+.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ezra Ausar

Brandon Johnson

Javon Small

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