Pirates Handle Top-Seeded Tulsa, 75-71

Monday, March 11

Fort Worth, Texas

1 PM ET

East Carolina University

18-13,9-9AAC

Tulsa

23-9,13-5AAC

East Carolina

Tulsa

March 11, 2024 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

FORT WORTH, Texas – The East Carolina women's basketball team took down top-seeded Tulsa, 75-71, on Monday afternoon in the American Athletic Conference Quarterfinals at Dickies Arena. Danae McNeal had a do-it-all kind of day with 29 points, five rebounds, 10 steals and three blocks.

Despite a back-and-forth first quarter and some late-game drama, Pirates (18-13, 9-9 AAC) led for 32:40 of the game and held a lead of as many as 11 in the third quarter.

The team was fueled by a deeply motivated Danae McNeal who showed why she was not only Defensive Player of the Year, but a unanimous First-Team All-AAC honoree. McNeal scored 11 points in the first quarter and had posted 15 points by halftime to lead all scorers.

Though she only had three steals in the first half, McNeal came out of the halftime break on a tear, compiling seven steals in the second. That total alone would have been an American Athletic Conference Tournament single-game record, but she went on to finish with 10 instead. It was a career high and tied for second in a game in program history.

McNeal also poured in 14 more points in the second half and got reinforcements from Amiya Joyner's 14-point, 14-rebound double-double, a dozen points from Tatyana Wyche and a key 11 points from Khia Miller.

It was Miller who rose to the occasion in the most critical moment on Monday. Tulsa had cut it do a one possession game in the fourth quarter and it had been hovering there for some time. The Golden Hurricane had chances to tie or take the lead several times but came up empty. Then Miller was fouled on a corner three with 36 seconds remaining.

The freshman entered the game a 44-percent foul shooter, but she calmly sank all three of those attempts from the charity stripe to make it a six-point game, 69-39. She hit two more with eight seconds remaining to go 5-5 in the final minute.

After a defensive stop the Pirates called time to advance the ball and drew up a beauty of a play which saw McNeal streak to the basket for a wide-open layup to ice the game with 26.2 seconds left.

Tulsa made a couple of shots late, but the Pirates finished 7-7 from the foul line in the final minute to put the game away.

Notable Numbers

It is the first time since 1998-99 and 1999-2000 that the Pirates have made a conference semifinal round in consecutive seasons.
McNeal is the seventh player in the NCAA to have 10-or-more steals in a game this season.
McNeal became the fifth player in ECU history to eclipse 100 steals in a single season. She now has 104 on the year.
This was McNeal's 17^th game with 20-or-more points this season and her 10^th with 25-plus.
McNeal moved past Lashonda Monk for 11^th in ECU history in career points. She now has 1,360, just six shy of Sylvia Bragg in 10^th.
McNeal blocked her 50^th career shot.
Joyner recorded her seventh-consecutive double-double. It was her 12^th of the season and 25^th of her career.
Joyner rises to sixth on the ECU single-season rebounding list with 288 and counting, tied with Marcia Girven who reached the number twice.
- Joyner also holds the third spot with 300 last season.
Joyner moved past Tiara Chambers for sixth in ECU history in career blocks, now with 92.
Khia Miller scored in double figures in consecutive games for the second time on the season and fourth time in five games.
The Pirates have won the first two games of the tournament with a mere 1-16 clip from the three-point line.