Joyner Scores Thousandth Point, Pirates Close Out Wichita State, 72-62

Wednesday, January 29

Greenville, N.C.

6:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

11-10,3-6AAC

Wichita State

7-15,1-8AAC

Wichita St.

East Carolina

Joyner Scores Thousandth Point, Pirates Close Out Wichita State, 72-62

January 29, 2025 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

GREENVILLE, N.C. - The East Carolina women's basketball team closed the game on a 20-8 run over the final 3:48 to defeat the Wichita State Shockers, 72-62, on Wednesday evening in Minges Coliseum. Amiya Joyner had a fabulous day with 17 points, 13 rebounds, five assists and two blocks as the junior surpassed 1,000 career points.

The Pirates (11-0, 3-6) actually trailed for much of the game, lagging behind the visiting Shockers (7-15, 1-8 AAC) for 25:36 of game time and suffering from the wrong end of an 8-0 run in the middle portion of the fourth quarter to trail by a couple entering the final four minutes of play. It was then that Bobbi Smith scored the basket to start the run, taking a deficit to a double-digit lead in just three minutes and 10 seconds of action.

The hosts were down by six at the halftime break and looking for a spark. They found it in an unusual lineup. Utilizing a three-forward look with Joyner, Anzhané Hutton and Tatyana Wyche all on the court at the same time and an uncharacteristic 2-3 defense, the Pirates shut Wichita State down. They held the visitors to just seven points in the third quarter to roar back to life and catapult themselves into the lead.

They did a lot of that work by battling hard in the paint and earning trips to the foul line. Not only did the team score 32 of their 72 points in the paint, they also worked their way to the charity stripe and cashed in. The team sank 23 of their 29 free throws for a 79-percent clip and a grand total of 55 of 72 points coming either in the painted area or with the clock stopped. This was perhaps one of the unlikeliest of outcomes after ECU shot only five free throws on Saturday, making three.

The Pirates entered Wednesday a team needing a win and needing it bad and to do so they turned to their junior forward—Farmville's own. Joyner has had an up and down season but in a moment of need she stepped up. The double-double was her eighth of the season and the 34th of her career. It was also just her third career game with 15 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.

Most notably, however, with a third-quarter basket, Joyner reached 1,000 career points. In doing, she became the 26th thousand-point scorer in ECU history and just the second Pirate ever with 1,000 points and 100 blocks (Marcia Girven).

One would be remissed, however, to think that Joyner was the only star of the day, though. Both Hutton and Jayla Hearp also did a terrific job scoring the ball with 15 apiece. Hearp did so, remarkably, in just 13 minutes played as she battled foul trouble. Keying the offense, Devin Hagemann contributed six assists in the game, her second time reaching that number this season, as the team totaled 18 helpers as a group. It was the 10th game of the season with 15-or-more assistss as a team.

Notables

Wednesday was the first time since the 4OT marathon against North Texas last season in which the Pirates had three 15-plus point scorers.
Ever brilliant on the glass, the Pirates had 17 offensive rebounds in the game. The team ranked 20th in the NCAA in the category entering the game.
Good luck charm? The Pirates wore their gold uniforms for the first time this season. They went 1-1 in gold in 2023-24.

Up Next
The Pirates are back out on the road on Saturday as they head to Memphis for a 3 p.m. tilt.