Saturday, February 25
Greenville, N.C.
8:00 P.M.
East Carolina University
14-14,5-10AAC
57
vs
76
Houston
27-2,15-1AAC
1
2
F
Houston
36
40
76
East Carolina
19
38
57
Pirates Fall To No. 1 Houston, 76-57
February 25, 2023 | Men's Basketball
GREENVILLE, N.C. (AP) — Marcus Sasser scored 22 points to help top-ranked Houston beat East Carolina 76-57 on Saturday night at Williams Arena in Minges Coliseum and clinch outright possession of the American Athletic Conference regular-season title.
Tramon Mark added 20 points for the Cougars (27-2, 15-1 AAC), while J'Wan Roberts had 17 points and 12 rebounds in Houston's ninth straight victory.
By halftime, the Cougars had blocked more shots (five) than the Pirates had even made (three) and led by 17. ECU finished the game shooting 32%, including 52% after halftime while trailing big, and Houston claimed a 48-28 rebounding advantage that included 19 second-chance points.
The Pirates (14-14, 5-10 AAC) had an energetic home crowd of 7,589, the sixth-largest in Minges Coliseum history, for the first-ever visit from a No. 1-ranked team to Minges Coliseum, as well as the program's first game against a top-ranked opponent in more than 31 years. But the Cougars never trailed and led for all but 56 seconds.
Ezra Ausar scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Pirates, who got as close as 50-35 after halftime on Jaden Walker's 3-pointer at the 11:37 mark. In fact, it was the first of three times that ECU pulled to within 15 — yet Houston answered immediately each time to keep the Pirates from sustaining any true momentum toward a stunning upset. RJ Felton added 13 points and five rebounds and Brandon Johnson finished with 12 points.
Pirate fans had memories of Houston's last visit here two years ago, when the Pirates stunned the fifth-ranked Cougars for their lone win against a top-5 opponent and their first win against any AP Top 25 team in nearly two decades. This time, under first-year coach Michael Schwartz, they were getting their fourth shot against the No. 1-ranked team and first since losing at Duke in November 1991. But the Pirates saw any chance to a repeat upset wither amid that 3-for-25 shooting in the first half, including going the last 10:56 without a basket as Houston's lead grew.
Up Next
The Pirates host Tulane on Wednesday, Mar. 1 for their final home game of the season at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
Tramon Mark added 20 points for the Cougars (27-2, 15-1 AAC), while J'Wan Roberts had 17 points and 12 rebounds in Houston's ninth straight victory.
By halftime, the Cougars had blocked more shots (five) than the Pirates had even made (three) and led by 17. ECU finished the game shooting 32%, including 52% after halftime while trailing big, and Houston claimed a 48-28 rebounding advantage that included 19 second-chance points.
The Pirates (14-14, 5-10 AAC) had an energetic home crowd of 7,589, the sixth-largest in Minges Coliseum history, for the first-ever visit from a No. 1-ranked team to Minges Coliseum, as well as the program's first game against a top-ranked opponent in more than 31 years. But the Cougars never trailed and led for all but 56 seconds.
Ezra Ausar scored 15 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead the Pirates, who got as close as 50-35 after halftime on Jaden Walker's 3-pointer at the 11:37 mark. In fact, it was the first of three times that ECU pulled to within 15 — yet Houston answered immediately each time to keep the Pirates from sustaining any true momentum toward a stunning upset. RJ Felton added 13 points and five rebounds and Brandon Johnson finished with 12 points.
Pirate fans had memories of Houston's last visit here two years ago, when the Pirates stunned the fifth-ranked Cougars for their lone win against a top-5 opponent and their first win against any AP Top 25 team in nearly two decades. This time, under first-year coach Michael Schwartz, they were getting their fourth shot against the No. 1-ranked team and first since losing at Duke in November 1991. But the Pirates saw any chance to a repeat upset wither amid that 3-for-25 shooting in the first half, including going the last 10:56 without a basket as Houston's lead grew.
Up Next
The Pirates host Tulane on Wednesday, Mar. 1 for their final home game of the season at 9 p.m. on ESPNU.
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Team Stats
UH
ECU
FG%
.439
.320
3FG%
.333
.364
FT%
.800
.607
RB
48
28
TO
9
8
STL
5
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
15
FGM
5
3FGM
0
FTM
5
Pts
12
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
1
Pts
9
FGM
2
3FGM
2
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
F
/ Men's BasketballF
/ Men's BasketballG
/ Men's BasketballMike Schwartz Presser
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