Pirates Use First-Half Onslaught to Defeat Florida Atlantic, 80-70

Wednesday, February 26

Boca Raton, Fla.

7:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

15-13,7-9AAC

Florida Atlantic

10-19,2-14AAC

East Carolina

Fla. Atlantic

Pirates Use First-Half Onslaught to Defeat Florida Atlantic, 80-70

February 26, 2025 | Women's Basketball

Box Score

BOCA RATON, Fla. – The East Carolina women's basketball team went on the road and defeated Florida Atlantic, 80-70, on Wednesday evening in Eleanor R. Baldwin Arena. The Pirates got out to a commanding lead before weathering a frenetic Owls comeback to secure the much-needed conference victory.

Jayla Hearp got the Pirates (15-13, 7-9 AAC) off to a quick start in the game as she scored the team's first seven points of the contest. Hearp ended up pouring in 10 points in the first quarter as the Pirates built a generous lead. The Owls (10-19, 2-14 AAC) on the other hand were greatly hampered by turnovers in the early going with six in the first period to only two made field goals.

The Pirates went on a 23-2 to end first quarter after Florida Atlantic got the opening basket with six different players finding the bucket. The team's 23-4 lead after one was the largest since leading VCU 27-8 on Dec. 4, 2022.

The run ended up going to 27-2 before an Alana Rouser finally stopped the bleeding for Florida Atlantic. By that point it was a 23-point lead for the Pirates, seven players having scored including a tough Timia Ware and-one jumper, a Kimora Jenkins bucket and swished triples by Hearp and Khia Miller.

The vaunted East Carolina pressure defense worked wonders throughout the first half and in doing, it worked wonders for the team's shooting percentage as the Pirates knocked in 63 percent (19-30) of their field goals in the first 20 minutes of action. 14 of their points came off of 12 Florida Atlantic turnovers.

In the second quarter, Amiya Joyner started doing Amiya Joyner things as she joined Hearp in double-figures scoring 11 points on a perfect 5-5 start from the field with five boards. Joyner did miss her final shot of the half, but you can't have everything.

The 25-point halftime lead was the largest for the Pirates in a conference game in the Kim McNeill era and the largest in a league game overall since leading SMU, also by a 46-21 score line, on Feb. 18, 2015, almost 10 years ago to the day.

The Owls managed to whittle the margin down to 15 with a run of three-consecutive three-point makes towards the end of the third. In the eternal lesson of "it is hard to play with a big lead," FAU continued to be the aggressor as they nudged the margin ever closer throughout the second half.

For the Owls, Stefanie Ingram was a killer in the second half with all 18 of her points coming after the halftime break. And, with Ingram at the point, the hosts alleviated many of their turnover issues from the first 20 minutes with only three giveaways in the second half of play leading to just five points off turnovers for ECU.

Florida Atlantic kept the momentum rolling down the stretch with a 10-0 run to make it a single-digit game at the 3:09 mark for the first time since the score was 13-4 with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter and forcing an ECU timeout. The Owls got all the way to within five as Ta'Ziah Jenks knocked in one of her six threes on the game with under two minutes remaining, but with a Devin Hagemann bucket on the other end, the run proved to come a bit too late.

The Pirates closed the game out at the foul line with a 7-0 run in the final minute to put the game in hand.

All said, Miller led the Pirates in scoring with 18 points and Joyner posted 17, nabbing her double-double with 10 rebounds, Hearp and Hutton added 13 and 12, respectively. For Florida Atlantic, Jenks and Ingram led the way with 22 and 18 points apiece.

It does deserve noting that Florida Atlantic played Wednesday's contest without the services of Mya Perry who torched the Pirates for 29 in the teams' January meeting.

Up Next
The Pirates remain in the Sunshine State to take on South Florida on Saturday at 7 p.m. in Tampa.