Pirates Set To Host Temple Sunday

Game 21: Temple (8-12, 1-6 AAC) at East Carolina (10-10, 3-4 AAC)
Date \| Time	January 28, 2024 \| 5:00 p.m. ET
Location	Greenville, N.C. \| Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum
Game Program	Digital Game Program #4
Coverage	Stream: ESPN2 Radio: 107.9WNCT Live Stats: Statbroadcast
Statistics	East Carolina \| Temple \| The American
Game Notes	East Carolina \| Temple \| The American
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 returns to Minges Coliseum for a two-game homestand beginning this Sunday evening when the Pirates host Temple.

The game is scheduled for a 5:00 p.m. ET tip and will be televised on ESPN2 with Dave Leno (play-by-play) and Noah Savage (analyst) on the call. Sunday's game can also be heard on the ECU Sports Network 107.9 FM or 9.43 The Game with Daron Vaught (play-by-play) and Michael Perry handling broadcasting duties.

RJ Felton leads East Carolina with 15.8 points per game (7th in AAC) and is fourth in the league in steals per game with two. Ezra Ausar and Brandon Johnson round out the Pirates' top scorers with 13.9 points per game. Johnson leads the team on the glass with 8.8 rebounds per contest which ranks as third-best in the league. Bobby Pettiford Jr. leads the Pirates with 3.7 assists per game and leads the conference in assist-to-turnover ratio at 3.2 (22nd in NCAA).

Last Time Out
Brandon Johnson scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds as East Carolina snapped a three-game losing skid by defeating Wichita State 54-52 inside Charles Koch Arena on Wednesday evening. RJ Felton and Ezra Ausar added 10 points each for the Pirates (10-10, 3-4 AAC) who forced 19 turnovers and held the Shockers offense in check for most of the night. Bobby Pettiford Jr. added eight points and five rebounds off the bench.

Scouting the Owls
The Owls arrive to Greenville on a five-game skid, last losing to South Florida at home 75-69 despite 23 points from Matteo Picarelli and 11 threes made as a team. Temple is led in scoring by Hysier Miller's 16.1 ppg (6th in AAC) and Jahlil White's 11.9 points per night. Jordan Riley also supplies 11.6 points as the Owls' third-leading scorer. In addition to being a high-volume three-point shooting team, the Owls are also one of the better teams in the league at taking the ball away, ranking sixth in the league in that category, led by Steve Settle III's 1.8 swipes per game.

Series History
Temple leads the all-time series with East Carolina 11-5, but the Pirates won the last encounter earlier this month, defeating the Owls 73-62 for its first-ever win at The Liacouras Center behind 43 percent three-point shooting and efficient offensive nights from Ausar, Johnson and Felton. Three of the Pirates' five wins against the Owls have come inside Minges.

On This Date
ECU is 5-15 in games played on Jan. 28 since the 1960-61 season with the last game on this date coming during the 2017-18 season as the Pirates lost on the road to SMU, 86-61.

Up Next
The Pirates face South Florida at home on Wednesday, Jan. 31 on ESPN+.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Ezra Ausar

RJ Felton

Brandon Johnson

Bobby Pettiford Jr.

Footer