Pirates Fall to Wichita State, 85-72

Sunday, January 29

Greenville, N.C.

Noon

East Carolina University

11-11,2-7AAC

Wichita State

11-10,4-5AAC

Wichita St.

East Carolina

January 29, 2023 | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

GREENVILLE, N.C. – Craig Porter Jr. scored 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting as Wichita State defeated East Carolina 85-72 on Sunday afternoon at Williams Arena in Minges Coliseum.

RJ Felton recorded a game-high 22 points for the Pirates (11-11, 2-7 AAC) who were never able to recover from a lackadaisical start on both ends of the floor. Benjamin Bayela turned in his best performance as a Pirate with 18 points off the bench on 6-of-8 shooting from behind the arc. Quentin Diboundje added 12 points and five rebounds.

James Rojas added 19 points for the Shockers (11-10, 4-5 AAC), including 11 points from the free throw line. Jaykwon Walton and Kenny Pohto rounded out the Shockers who scored in double figures with 13 and 10 points respectively.

The Pirates found themselves in an early hole to start, falling behind by eight points at the first media timeout. Wichita State would make eight of its next 10 shots to pull ahead by double digits and ECU would get no closer than 11 points in the first half. The Shockers would close the half on a 10-3 run to take a 49-28 lead at the break.

Wichita State would keep its foot on the gas to start the second half and would remain comfortably ahead 59-36 at the 16:03 mark of the second half. ECU put together a brief 7-0 run on offense, but the Shockers would respond by going on an 11-4 run to take its largest lead of the game at 27 and seal the win.

Up Next
The Pirates travel to Tampa, Fla. for a rematch with South Florida on Wednesday, Feb. 1 at 7 p.m. on ESPNU.