Pirates Victorious at Charlotte for First Time Since 1998, 71-66

Tuesday, March 5

Charlotte, NC

6:30 PM

East Carolina University

16-13,9-9AAC

Charlotte

16-14,9-9AAC

East Carolina

Charlotte

Pirates Victorious at Charlotte for First Time Since 1998, 71-66

March 05, 2024 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The East Carolina women's basketball team downed the Charlotte 49ers, 71-66, on Tuesday night in Halton Arena. The Pirates were led by Amiya Joyner's double-double and Danae McNeal's 25 points in the win.

For the Pirates (16-13, 9-9 AAC), it was the first victory on the road against Charlotte (16-14, 9-9 AAC) since Nov. 24, 1998, and it was hard earned at that.

The Pirates got out to a lead early, and though they never relinquished it – leading for 39:08 of the game after scoring first 52 seconds in – it wasn't without the game getting close.

ECU did jump out to a quick lead, up 11 points with 3:27 remaining in the first quarter when McNeal scored a jumper. It was part of a nine-point first quarter for the graduate guard and helped propel the visitors to a nine-point cushion after 10 minutes of play.

It was in the second quarter where, for the first time, things got a bit interesting. Charlotte was able to whittle into the lead, methodically working to cut it down, twice getting withing three points. But for the first time as well, the Pirates responded. Karina Gordon led the team with five points in the quarter, including a three with 20 seconds remaining which briefly boosted the lead to nine before a Tamia Davis buzzer-beater cut it back down to six at the half.

A big piece of the Niners ability to stay in striking distance was the play of Keanna Rembert. Rembert put up a career-high 15 points in the first half alone. With 6:31 remaining in the second quarter, Rembert had already scored eight points in the game after entering the contest averaging 7.8 points per game on the year. The forward scored 11 of her 15 points in just the second quarter.

The teams got back to trading jabs in the third, Charlotte hitting a triple to cut it to three to open the half, then ECU going on a run to extend it to 10 once again. The host kept battling, cutting it back to four, then the Pirates made a trio of free throws and Khia Miller drained a three with 34 seconds remaining in the quarter to put the lead back to double figures.

Miller had another stellar game, scoring six points with two made threes and being disruptive defensively.

It was also in the third quarter where Joyner began to take over. The sophomore posted seven points and six rebounds in the quarter alone, drawing four fouls and hitting five of her six attempts from the charity stripes. She was a force to be reckoned with and carried that momentum into the fourth.

First, it would be Charlotte throwing a huge punch to open the fourth. The 49ers used an 11-2 run to cut the Pirates lead down to just one with 6:35 remaining. The crowd came alive, and it looked for a moment like East Carolina might find themselves once more on the ropes in a close conference game.

The Pirates held steady though, Joyner scored on the second chance, then McNeal scored on a stunning pass – a length-of-the-court dart from Joyner off of a rebound on the fast break. McNeal drilled a triple, and it was back to eight with five minutes to play.

Charlotte wasn't done yet, though. The Niners cut it to three again, before McNeal and Karina Gordon hit back-to-back threes to extend the lead to nine with 2:32 remaining. A couple of possessions later, Gordon intercepted a charlotte pass and took it all the way to the hoop for a lay-in basket. 71-60 to the Pirates with under a minute to play.

Gordon for her part hit three threes in the game for 13 total points and grabbed four boards.

Charlotte took one last swing at it, hitting back-to-back threes sandwiched by an ECU turnover in a 15-second span to cut it back to five. The final 30 seconds would feature a host of turnovers, a few more missed threes from Charlotte, but ultimately no more scoring. Pirates win, 71-66.

Tatyana Wyche had a strong day as well with 10 rebounds, four points, four assists and two blocks.

For Joyner, the final quarter provided four more points and five more rebounds to get to her final line of 19 points and 16 rebounds while McNeal put up eight points in the period to get to 25 points in the game alone with three steals. Joyner also dished out a team-high matching four assists.

Notable Numbers

Joyner's double-double was her 10^th of the season. It was also her fifth-consecutive which is a new career high, besting four in a row last season. It was the 23^rd of No. 23's already-illustrious Pirate career.
Joyner's 16 rebounds move her into a tie with I'Tiana Taylor for third most 15-rebound games in program history with nine.
McNeal extended her program-record streak of 20-plus point games to nine.
McNeal became the fifth player in program history to score 600 points in a single season. She now has 611 points on the year, just four behind Kathy Riley (1980-81) for fourth in program history. Rosie Thompson owns the program record with 723 points scored in 1978-79.
McNeal's three steals give her 93 on the season, sixth most in program history. McNeal also holds the fifth spot with her 97 from 2022-23.
McNeal now has 1,186 points over the last two seasons, the most by any ECU player over a two-year stretch since Jada Payne scored 1,188 across the 2014-15 and 2015-16 seasons. Should McNeal score three-or-more points in the AAC Tournament, she would have the most points in a two-year stretch since Rosie Thompson scored 1,308 points across the 1978-79 and 1979-80 seasons.
With 26 combined rebounds, Joyner (261) and Tatyana Wyche (164) now have the most rebounds (425) by ECU teammates in a season since I'Tiana Taylor (304) and Jayda Payne (257) went for 561 combined in 2015-16.
Gordon has now hit 45 threes on the season, third most by a freshman in ECU history. Ariyana Williams (2017-18) and Jasmine Young (2005-06) are first and second with 51 and 50 makes, respectively.
It was the first win at Charlotte since Nov. 24, 1998 when the Pirates won 85-81. It ends a streak of seven-straight road losses to the 49ers.

Up Next
With the win, the Pirates have secured the No.-9 seed in the American Athletic Conference Tournament and will face the No-8 seeded Memphis Tigers on Sunday, March 10 at 1 p.m. ET at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.