Sunday, January 18
Greenville, N.C.
2:00 p.m.
East Carolina University
5-13,0-5American
70
vs
73
Charlotte
10-9,4-2American
1
2
F
Charlotte
45
28
73
East Carolina
33
37
70
Pirates Drop Heartbreaker To Charlotte, 73-70
January 18, 2026 | Men's Basketball
GREENVILLE, N.C. – Jordan Riley scored a game-high 23 points, but another second-half surge came up short as East Carolina fell to Charlotte, 73-70, inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
Corey Caulker (14 points) and Demitri Gardner (12 points) both scored season-highs for the Pirates (5-13, 0-5 American) who have dropped six straight games.
Dezayne Mingo led Charlotte (10-9, 4-2 American) with 16 points.
Both teams got off to hot starts offensively, shooting over 50 percent going into the first media timeout with the 49ers holding a 14-12 lead. Charlotte got some separation with back-to-back threes to increase their lead to eight with just under nine minutes to go and the Niners went up 31-22 with 7:33 remaining in the half.
The Niners' lead ballooned to as much as 14 in the first half as the Pirates' defense allowed Charlotte to shoot 64 percent and face a 45-33 deficit going into the half.
ECU's second-half comeback attempt began with 7:36 to go in the game as an 8-0 spurt pulled the Pirates within three points with Caulker's three at the 4:20 mark. Charlotte answered every time that East Carolina threatened, and the 49ers were able to sink key free throws to remain in the lead in the final minutes of the game.
The Pirates had one last chance to tie the game and force overtime with four seconds left, but Riley's three-point attempt was off, and Charlotte held on for the three-point road win.
Up Next
East Carolina travels to Wichita State on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip on ESPN+.
Corey Caulker (14 points) and Demitri Gardner (12 points) both scored season-highs for the Pirates (5-13, 0-5 American) who have dropped six straight games.
Dezayne Mingo led Charlotte (10-9, 4-2 American) with 16 points.
Both teams got off to hot starts offensively, shooting over 50 percent going into the first media timeout with the 49ers holding a 14-12 lead. Charlotte got some separation with back-to-back threes to increase their lead to eight with just under nine minutes to go and the Niners went up 31-22 with 7:33 remaining in the half.
The Niners' lead ballooned to as much as 14 in the first half as the Pirates' defense allowed Charlotte to shoot 64 percent and face a 45-33 deficit going into the half.
ECU's second-half comeback attempt began with 7:36 to go in the game as an 8-0 spurt pulled the Pirates within three points with Caulker's three at the 4:20 mark. Charlotte answered every time that East Carolina threatened, and the 49ers were able to sink key free throws to remain in the lead in the final minutes of the game.
The Pirates had one last chance to tie the game and force overtime with four seconds left, but Riley's three-point attempt was off, and Charlotte held on for the three-point road win.
Up Next
East Carolina travels to Wichita State on Wednesday for a 7:30 p.m. ET tip on ESPN+.
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Team Stats
CLT
ECU
FG%
.542
.426
3FG%
.476
.375
FT%
.846
.667
RB
37
23
TO
18
5
STL
1
8
Game Leaders
Pts
23
FGM
9
3FGM
1
FTM
4
Pts
14
FGM
4
3FGM
3
FTM
3
Pts
12
FGM
5
3FGM
1
FTM
1
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
0
FTM
1
Players Mentioned
G
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