Pirates Set To Battle South Carolina On Saturday

Game 10: South Carolina (7-1) at East Carolina (6-3)
Date \| Time	December 9, 2023 \| Noon
Location	Greenville, N.C. \| Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum
Game Program	Digital Game Program #2
Coverage	Stream: ESPNU Radio: 107.9WNCT Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Statistics	East Carolina \| South Carolina \| The American
Game Notes	East Carolina \| South Carolina
Record Book	East Carolina 2023-24 Record Book
Social Media	Facebook \| Twitter \| Instagram \| YouTube \| #GreenvilleGrit

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina men's basketball team is looking to win its fifth straight home game on Saturday when the Pirates welcome South Carolina to Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

The game is scheduled for a noon start and will be televised on ESPNU with Matt Schick (play-by-play) and Mark Wise (analyst) on the call.

RJ Felton leads the Pirates in scoring with 16.3 points per game and Brandon Johnson averages 15.3 points and 8.4 rebounds and has recorded a double-double in back-to-back games.

Saturday will mark the first time that the Pirates have welcomed an SEC foe to Minges Coliseum since 2002 when the Pirates defeated Ole Miss, 65-58. The Gamecocks have not visited Minges Coliseum since Jan. 13, 1988, when South Carolina defeated ECU 78-51. ECU is 2-2 in home games against South Carolina.

Last Time Out
Ezra Ausar notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds as East Carolina defeated Maryland Eastern Shore 63-52 inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Monday afternoon. Brandon Johnson also recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Pirates who shook off a slow start to win their second straight game. RJ Felton added 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from behind the arc.

Scouting the Gamecocks
South Carolina is coming off its first loss of the season, a 72-67 defeat to in-state rival Clemson, on Wednesday evening. Meechie Johnson led the Gamecocks with a game-high 26 points and has scored 20 or more points in three straight games. Johnson leads the team in scoring with 18.9 ppg and B.J. Mack also adds 15.9 points per contest. Ta'lon Cooper is currently second in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio at 6.00 and the Gamecocks are one of the best three-point shooting teams in the country at 39.2 percent.

Series History
The Pirates and Gamecocks have met 12 times with the all-time series locked at 6-6 after ECU defeated South Carolina 64-56 in Greenville, S.C. last season. It was the first time the programs had met since 2004 and both teams are scheduled to face each other in Columbia next year.

On This Date
ECU is 6-4 in games played on Dec. 9 since the 1960-61 season with the last game on this date coming during the 2006-07 season when the Pirates fell to South Florida, 65-52, at Minges Coliseum.

Up Next
East Carolina hits the road to face another opponent from the SEC in Florida as the Pirates battle the Gators in Lakeland, Fla. on Dec. 14 on the SEC Network.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ezra Ausar

RJ Felton

Brandon Johnson

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