ECU Drops Regular Season Finale

Wednesday, March 2

Memphis, TN

8 PM

East Carolina University

11-17,4-11AAC

Memphis

15-11,6-9AAC

East Carolina

Memphis

March 02, 2022 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

MEMPHIS, TENN. – A second half run was the difference as the East Carolina women's basketball team lost to Memphis 56-53 in the regular season finale.

East Carolina finishes the regular season with an 11-17 overall record and a 4-11 mark in the AAC. Memphis improves to 15-11 with a 6-9 league mark.

How It Happened

The first quarter did not see much offense on either side, both teams shooting 25.0% from the floor. ECU got four early points by Da'Ja Green and four points for Xianna Josephs late in the frame to take a 10-7 lead after 10 minutes.
Taniyah Thompson carried the ECU offense early in the second quarter. The Pirates' leading scorer grabbed the first five points of the quarter for ECU and added another three later in the frame. East Carolina also got an unexpected lift from Tiara Chambers and Brittany Franklin, with each scoring four points. The Pirates stretched the lead to as many as 10 and took a 26-19 lead into the break.
East Carolina started the second half on a 7-3 run, powered by five points from Green and a layup by Iycez Adams, to make it 33-22. After a Memphis jumper, Thompson answered to make it 35-24 with 5:20 remaining.
But from there, the Pirates went cold from the field. Memphis began to turn up the pressure and rattled off a 10-0 run behind three points from Alana Davis and three from Madison Griggs. Despite their cold shooting, ECU was able to stay afloat thanks to a pair of free throws by Morgan Moseley, Alexsia Rose and Synia Johnson. But four Memphis layups, including two for Davis, staked the Tigers to a 42-41 lead.
East Carolina's cold shooting continued, with Memphis scoring the first four points of the fourth. The Pirates finally got a field goal from Thompson and an Adams free throw got them back within a possession. The two teams traded baskets heading down the stretch until Tylar Bennett scored a put-back layup and then Thompson hit a corner three to give the Pirates a 53-52 lead with 1:36 remaining.
Neither team could get the all-important next basket for more than a minute. Finally, a Pirate turnover led to a Memphis runout and Jamirah Shutes was fouled. Shutes made a pair of free throws to put Memphis back on top and after a Pirate turnover, Shutes closed out the game with two more from the charity stripe.

Pirate Notes

Thompson finished with 17 points, narrowly missing her seventh straight 20-point game which would have tied the school record. It is her 19^th straight game in double figures.
Franklin scored an ECU career-best four points.
Johnson led the Pirates in both rebounding (nine) and assists (three).
Adams grabbed a career-best three steals while adding two blocks.

Up Next

The Pirates will open the AAC Tournament on Monday with the first round. Seeding and game times will be announced in the next days.