Pirates Fend Off SMU Comeback, 74-64

Saturday, February 24

Dallas, TX

3 PM

East Carolina University

15-11,8-7AAC

SMU

13-13,7-8AAC

East Carolina

SMU

February 24, 2024 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

DALLAS, Texas – The East Carolina women's basketball team defeated SMU, 74-64, on Saturday afternoon in Moody Coliseum. The Pirates were led by Danae McNeal's 22 points and double-doubles by Tatyana Wyche and Amiya Joyner.

The Pirates (15-11, 8-7 AAC) led by as many as 20 points in the first half thanks in part to a frenetic effort defensively and some stellar shooting, finishing the half with a 50-percent clip from the field. The team also posted 12 points off of turnovers in the opening 20 minutes with 12 turnovers forced and seven steals.

One of those steals was by McNeal, the first of the game and, more significantly, the 200^th of her career. That takeaway made the guard the fourth player in ECU history to record 1,000 points, 200 rebounds and 200 steals. The Swansea, S.C. native finished the half with a game-high 16 points and was absolutely dominant at times, including finishing two and-one buckets – two of six for the team in the first half.

After the Pirates took a 19-point lead into the halftime break, the Mustangs (13-13, 7-8 AAC) made a huge charge at it in the second half. The hosts cut the lead to as few as five and did so with a balanced attack which saw five players score in double figures.

Despite getting dicey for a stretch, ECU weathered the storm and pushed the lead back into double figures in the final minutes. The final dagger was a Khia Miller jump shot with 1:58 remaining which extended the lead to 10 and evaporated any remaining hope of an SMU comeback.

Wyche and Joyner played critical roles in the post in the game, going for 15 points and 12 rebounds and 11 points and 13 rebounds, respectively. This made the duo the first pair of Pirates to post double-doubles in the same game since Bre McDonald and Kristen Gaffney did so against Cincinnati on Feb. 22, 2017, just over seven years ago to the day.

Up Next
The Pirates travel to Denton, Texas to play the North Texas Mean Green on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET.