East Carolina Women's Basketball Postseason Notes

Postseason notes for the American Athletic Conference Runner-Up ECU Women's Basketball team.

Awards

Danae McNeal won her second-consecutive American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year Award.
- McNeal is the second ECU player to do so after Lashonda Monk (2020/2021).
- McNeal is the fourth Pirate to win the award in the last five seasons.
An ECU player has won AAC Defensive Player of the Year in four of Kim McNeill's five seasons at the helm.
McNeal was named American Conference First-Team All-Conference for the second-consecutive season and did so unanimously.
- McNeal is the second ECU player to earn First-Team honors twice since joining the American (Jada Payne in 2015 and 2016).
Tatyana Wyche was named to the American's All-Newcomer Squad
Danae McNeal and Tatyana Wyche were named to the American Athletic Conference All-Tournament team.

Tournament Milestones

The Pirates reached the conference final in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1991 and 1992.
The Pirates reached the conference semifinal-or-later for the first time since 1999 and 2000.
The Pirates won games in consecutive conference tournaments for the first time since 2018 and 2019.
The Pirates defeated the No. 1 seed in a conference tournament for the first time since defeating James Madison in the CAA Semifinals in 1991, 78-75.
Danae McNeal broke the AAC Tournament single-game steals record with 10. The total was also second in ECU history.
McNeal broke the AAC Tournament record for total steals with 14.
Tatyana Wyche broke the AAC Tournament record with 13 blocks, besting Breanna Stewart's 10 which she set twice.
The Pirates' 14 blocks vs. Memphis were a tournament record and third most in program history (the team has had 15 blocks in a game twice, most recently in Dec. 2014).

Individual Milestones

Danae McNeal scored 684 points, second most in a season in ECU history.
- McNeal finished second in the American in scoring at 20.7 per game.
McNeal's 1,259 points across the last two seasons were the most by an ECU player in a two-year stretch since Rosie Thompson's 1,308 in 1977-78 and 1978-79.
From Feb. 4 to March 5, McNeal scored 20-or-more points in nine-consecutive games, a program record.
McNeal scored 30-or-more points in five games, third most in ECU history.
- Only Rosie Thompson (6 in 1978-79) and Mary Denkler (5 in 1982-83) have more.
McNeal finishes her career with seven 30-point games, tied for fourth most in program history (Tonya Hargrove/Courtney Willis).
McNeal scored a career high 35 points against SMU on Jan. 20, 10^th most in ECU history.
- McNeal also shot 15-15 from the free throw line in the game, a program record.
McNeal reached 1,385 points in just over two seasons with the Pirates, ninth in program history.
McNeal reached 107 steals on the season and 228 in her ECU career, fifth and sixth in program history, respectively.
McNeal's 107 steals made her the fourth individual in ECU history to reach 100 steals in a single season.
- McNeal led the American in steals, grabbing 39 more steals than the next closest players as of the end of the conference tournament.
McNeal recorded 10 steals vs. Tulsa on March 11, an American Tournament record and second in a game in ECU history.
- Her 29 points scored is the most by a player in ECU history with 10 steals (Lashonda Monk – 20, Delphine Mabry – 12, Toina Coley – 9)
McNeal wound up with a .790 career free throw percentage, third in ECU history.
Amiya Joyner finished the season with 309 rebounds, third in ECU history.
Joyner led the American Athletic Conference in rebounding with 9.97 per game.
- Joyner is the first conference rebounding champion since Danielle Melvin led the CAA with 8.9 rebounds per game in 1999.
From Feb. 17 to March 12 Joyner recorded eight-consecutive double-doubles. This is the longest streak in ECU history according to available records.
- Rosie Thompson had a streak of seven in 1978-79.
- It is possible that Debbie Freeman accomplished the feat in 1975-76 but game-by-game results are unavailable for that season.
Joyner finished the season with 13 double-doubles and now has 26 in her two seasons as a Pirate.
Joyner grabbed 20 rebounds on Feb. 17 against Memphis, the first ECU player to do so since Courtney Willis on Feb. 13, 2004, in a 4OT loss against TCU.
- Joyner also became the first player in program history to record a 20-rebound double-double with five assists.
Joyner has now recorded nine 15-plus rebound games in her career, tied for third in program history with I'Tiana Taylor and behind only Rosie Thompson and Debbie Freeman (12 each).
Joyner finishes the season at 98 career blocks, two away from becoming the sixth player in ECU history with 100.
Joyner finished the year with 47 blocks on the season, tied for 10^th in ECU history.
Tatyana Wyche finished the season with 51 blocks, tied for seventh in ECU history.
Against Wichita State (Feb. 4) and Charlotte (Feb. 10), Wyche blocked 13 shots in just two games.
Wyche's seven blocks against Wichita State is tied for third most in a game in ECU history.
- Wyche also became the first player in ECU history with a double-double and at least seven blocks.
Wyche and Joyner recorded double-doubles in the same game twice on the year (Feb. 24 and March 10).
- The Pirates had most recently had two teammates record double-doubles in the same game on Feb. 22, 2017.
Wyche and Joyner combined for 502 rebounds on the season, the most by ECU teammates since I'Tiana Taylor and Jada Payne's 561 in 2015-16.
Karina Gordon ended up with 48 made threes on the year, third in ECU history by a freshman.
Gordon hit six threes vs. UTSA on Jan. 2, tied for the second-highest total in ECU history.
Khia Miller came on strong late, scoring in double figures in five of the Pirates' last six games.

Team Milestones

The team achieved a winning season in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2017-18 and 2018-19.
42 wins over two seasons is the most since winning 44 in 2013-14 and 2014-15.
The team reached a .500-or-better record in league play in consecutive seasons for the first time since 2013-14 and 2014-15.
Went 12-10 from Jan. 2 to the end of the season despite being down two Team Captains/starters.
The team finished with 175 blocks, second in program history.
The team finished with 350 steals, sixth in program history.
The team forced 696 turnovers, seventh most in program history.
The team shot .713 from the foul line, second in program history. The team also made 464 free throws, sixth in program history.

Players Mentioned

Karina Gordon

Amiya Joyner

Danae McNeal

Khia Miller

Tatyana Wyche

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East Carolina Women's Basketball Postseason Notes

Players Mentioned

Karina Gordon

Amiya Joyner

Danae McNeal

Khia Miller

Tatyana Wyche

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