Pirates Take Over Late to Down Memphis. 74-65

Saturday, January 3

Greenville, NC

2:00 p.m.

East Carolina University

10-5,2-0American

Memphis

6-9,0-2American

Memphis

East Carolina

January 03, 2026 | Women's Basketball

Box Score Postgame Notes

GREENVILLE, N.C. – A 13-0 run in the final minutes of the fourth quarter drove the East Carolina women's basketball team past the Memphis Tigers, 74-65, on Saturday afternoon in Minges Coliseum.

With the win, the Pirates start 2-0 in league play while pushing their win streak to six games which ties the 2022-23 squad for the longest win streak since an eight-game streak to start the 2013-14 season.

The game began like a prize fight, the two league foes feeling each other out with seven lead changes and four ties in the first quarter. An and-one finish by Mildred Dibua and a layup by Kennedy Fauntleroy at the 2:54 mark put the Pirates (10-5, 2-0 American) in front, 12-10. The team went on to lead by as many as five in the period before entering the second quarter with a 16-14 score line.

The second quarter, thanks to a string of ECU turnovers, Memphis (6-9, 0-2 American) was able to run back into the lead, stepping in front, 22-20, on a Daejah Richmond layup at the 5:02 mark. However, the Tigers only ever managed to push the lead to five, on a free throw by Jordan Hunter which was promptly answered by a Savannah Brooks three-point shot with just over a minute remaining before halftime. After a stop, Brooks drilled another one from deep to give ECU the lead with 38 seconds left.

Memphis scored once more on a jumper by Cori Allen to take a one-point margin into the half, 31-30. All told, there were 10 lead changes and seven ties—a lot of a full game—in the first half of play.

Jayla Hearp had quite a nose for the ball in the first half as she hauled in seven rebounds, including four offensive boards. Her career high for a game entering Saturday was eight, a total which she matched on another offensive board just two minutes into the second half.

The Tigers maintained the lead for much of the early going in the third quarter. The Pirates worked back to level the score three times before the under-five media timeout, but Memphis scored three-straight buckets out of that pause to force an ECU timeout before adding one more score for a 48-40 lead.

After the game got a tad spicy for a spell with tensions running high, as is the wont of league play, the Pirates put on a 10-0 run, fueled by an ignited crowd. The run culminated in a corner three by Brooks just before the horn to give the Pirates a 50-48 lead entering the fourth.

The fourth quarter continued to be back and forth but was turned on its head with 2:02 left when Chae Harris was called for a foul and a subsequent technical, allowing Keanna Rembert to make four straight shots from the foul line. On the ensuing possession, Rembert was fouled again and sank both, giving ECU a 67-62 lead with 1:55 remaining in the contest.

Following an offensive foul by Allen for Memphis, Rembert was once again fouled and once again sank both. Fauntleroy stole the ball and scored from the press before three more foul shots capped a 13-0 run and give ECU a 74-62 lead in the final minute. Fauntleroy filled the stat sheet with 14 points, six rebounds, seven assists and four steals in the game.

The Pirates' point guard was far from alone in fabulous stat lines in the game as Rembert finished with 16 points and six rebounds, including a perfect 10-10 from the foul line. Hearp finished with 16 points and nine rebounds while Brooks posted 10 points to go with five rebounds, four steals and a trio of assists.

As a team, the Pirates shot 78.6 percent from the foul line on 28 attempts. The group grabbed 17 offensive rebounds and held Memphis to just five, and dominated in second chance points, 24-2. Partially as a result, the game was the second of the season and second in a row in which ECU won the game while shooting a poorer percentage from the field.

Up Next
The Pirates hit the road after what will have been 39 days at home to take on North Texas in Denton on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET. It will be the team's first true road game in 51 days.