Monday, November 6
Greenville, N.C.
7:00 p.m.
East Carolina University
1-0,0-0AAC
91
vs
61
Ferrum
0-0,0-0ODAC
1
2
F
Ferrum
31
30
61
East Carolina
41
50
91
Johnson's Career Night Propels Pirates Past Ferrum In Season Opener, 91-61
November 06, 2023 | Men's Basketball
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Brandon Johnson scored a career-high 29 points and grabbed nine rebounds as East Carolina used a strong second half surge on offense to outlast Ferrum 91-61 in its season opener inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Monday evening.
Â
Ezra Ausar added 13 points for the Pirates (1-0) who extended their season opener win streak to 24 games and home opener winning streak to 22. RJ Felton and Kalib LaCount each scored 11 points to round out the Pirates' double-figure scorers.
Â
Jikari Johnson led the Panthers in scoring with 19 points and Alfredo Abel-Rivera added 18 points.
Â
"Great to get the season started off," head coach Michael Schwartz said. "Obviously, I think anytime you can win a game, I believe winning is difficult. Glad that we were fortunate enough to win on the opening night."
Â
ECU started off fast as the Pirates raced out to a 6-0 lead just under two minutes into the game, but Ferrum would hold ECU to just 14 points over the next nine minutes of the game to remain within single digits for most of the first half. The Panthers cut the Pirates' lead to 23-19 at the 7:35 mark but ECU would gain enough separation to push its lead to 41-31 heading into the locker room.
Â
ECU's defense would start to wear down the Panthers in the second half as the Pirates held a 17-3 advantage at the free throw line, outrebounded the Panthers 22-10 and only allowed one made three-pointer. Johnson scored 19 of his 29 points in the second half to help spark the Pirates' offense to 57 percent shooting from the floor and allow ECU to sail to its first win of the year.
Â
Up Next
The Pirates continue their six-game homestand on Saturday, Nov. 11 as Campbell comes into Minges Coliseum at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
Â
Ezra Ausar added 13 points for the Pirates (1-0) who extended their season opener win streak to 24 games and home opener winning streak to 22. RJ Felton and Kalib LaCount each scored 11 points to round out the Pirates' double-figure scorers.
Â
Jikari Johnson led the Panthers in scoring with 19 points and Alfredo Abel-Rivera added 18 points.
Â
"Great to get the season started off," head coach Michael Schwartz said. "Obviously, I think anytime you can win a game, I believe winning is difficult. Glad that we were fortunate enough to win on the opening night."
Â
ECU started off fast as the Pirates raced out to a 6-0 lead just under two minutes into the game, but Ferrum would hold ECU to just 14 points over the next nine minutes of the game to remain within single digits for most of the first half. The Panthers cut the Pirates' lead to 23-19 at the 7:35 mark but ECU would gain enough separation to push its lead to 41-31 heading into the locker room.
Â
ECU's defense would start to wear down the Panthers in the second half as the Pirates held a 17-3 advantage at the free throw line, outrebounded the Panthers 22-10 and only allowed one made three-pointer. Johnson scored 19 of his 29 points in the second half to help spark the Pirates' offense to 57 percent shooting from the floor and allow ECU to sail to its first win of the year.
Â
Up Next
The Pirates continue their six-game homestand on Saturday, Nov. 11 as Campbell comes into Minges Coliseum at 2 p.m. on ESPN+.
Team Stats
FC
ECU
FG%
.450
.519
3FG%
.200
.333
FT%
.500
.769
RB
28
38
TO
19
14
STL
8
12
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
29
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
10
Pts
13
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
7
Pts
11
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballMike Schwartz Presser
Thursday, October 10
Inside Pirate Athletics (Feb. 26, 2024)
Tuesday, February 27
ECU Presser vs Charlotte
Saturday, February 03
Inside Pirate Athletics (Jan. 29, 2024)
Tuesday, January 30
