Saturday, February 21
Greenville, NC
1:00 p.m.
East Carolina University
vs
Rice
Pirates Set for Premier American Conference Clash with Rice
February 20, 2026 | Women's Basketball
| Game 28: East Carolina (20-7, 12-2 American) vs. Rice (23-3, 13-0 American) | |
| Date | Saturday, February 21 |
| Time | 1:00 p.m. (ET) |
| Location | Greenville, N.C. (Minges Coliseum) |
| Tickets | Purchase Here |
| Media Coverage |
Live Stats: StatBroadcast Streaming: ESPN+ |
| Game Notes | East Carolina | Rice |
| Social Media |
Twitter: @ECUWBB Instagram: @ECUWBB |
GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina women's basketball team is set for one its most significant regular season contests in program history, hosing the Rice Owls at 1 p.m. on Saturday in Minges Coliseum. Tickets are still available for purchase for the game as low as $7 for adults and $4 for youth.
For those unable to make it out, the game will be available for streaming on ESPN+ with Evan Budrovich, Brittany Hoyt and Matison Little on the call.
The game will be just the fourth regular season contest in program history between two 20-win teams. It is a one-versus-two matchup between the top teams in the American Conference with just four games remaining in the regular season.
For those who keep track of that kind of thing, Saturday is the third game of three-straight contests against Owl mascots.
Last Time Out
The Pirates held off a furious comeback to drop the Florida Atlantic Owls, 74-61, on Tuesday evening. The team led by 20 points at the half before holding on in the second for the victory. Anzhané Hutton led the way with her third double-double of the season on 17 points and 11 rebounds. Kennedy Fauntleroy and Jayla Hearp also scored in double figures in the win with 13 and 10 points, respectively. As a team, ECU forced a season high 29 turnovers while matching their season high with 15 steals en route to 27 points off turnovers and 40 paint points.
Scouting Rice
The Owls are as good as they get. Riding an 18-game win streak, fourth longest in the NCAA, the team boasts a 23-3 overall record and a perfect 13-0 resume in American Conference play. Rice has not lost a game since Nov. 28, a one-point loss to common opponent UCF. Last time out, the team got the better of South Florida in a home win, 79-72. For the season, four Rice players are scoring in double figures with three scoring 12-or-more points in Dominique Ennis, Victoria Flores and Shelby Hayes. The first player missing out on that double-figure scoring list is Hailey Adams with her 8.5 points per game, but where Adams makes her name is on the glass where she averages 11.3 rebounds per game. As a team, there just isn't a real weakness, but there some impressive strengths. Rice is second in the NCAA in free throw percentage, 29th in three point field goal percentage defense, and top 100 nationally in just about every category.
Series History
The Pirates and Owls have met 15 times overall dating back to 2006 and four times since becoming American Conference foes, all Rice wins. The most notable of those games was a 61-41 contest in the 2024 American Conference Championship Game. Last season, ECU fell in a closer game, 65-56, in Houston. Anzhané Hutton led the Pirates with 16 points and nine rebounds in the game while Victoria Flores' 18 points led three Owls in double figures in the win.
ECU versus...
ECU is 88-109 all time in American Conference regular season play and 45-57 in the McNeill era. ECU is 126-150 all time in games against current members of the American Conference.
ECU is 47-60 all time against schools from the state of Texas and 9-22 in the McNeill era.
Florida Atlantic Game Notables
- ECU scored 27 points off turnovers, the 19th game this season with 20+ points off turnovers and the 11th with 25+.
- ECU forced 29 turnovers in the game, tied for a season high. It is the 17th time forcing 20+ this season and seventh time forcing 25+.
- ECU tied its season high with 15 steals. ECU now has 10+ steals in 15 games.
- ECU has now made 157 threes this season, ninth most in a season in program history.
- ECU has made multiple three pointers in 34 consecutive games dating back to Feb. 15, 2025 vs. Charlotte.
- ECU made 21 free throws on a 77.8 (21-27) percent clip. The team is shooting 73.4 percent from the foul line this season which is on pace for a program record. It is the sixth game with 20+ free throws made this season.
- ECU remains undefeated (15-0) when scoring over 70 points this season.
Improved Shooting
Through 27 games, the Pirates have hit 157 combined threes, ninth most in a season in program history.
Five players have made 15+ threes so far— Taylor Barner, Savannah Brooks, Kennedy Fauntleroy, Jayla Hearp and Keanna Rembert. Anzhané Hutton is just behind with 13. All four of the aforementioned guards have made 20+. It is the first time having five players with 15+ made threes since 2013-14. ECU has NEVER had six players with 15+ made threes.
Pick Your Poison
The Pirates have six players scoring over nine points per game this season: Fauntleroy (13.7), Barner (11.0), Hutton (10.9) Rembert (10.2), Hearp (9.8), Brooks (9.1).
According to available records, ECU has only had four players average in double figures six times: 1992-93, 1991-92, 1985-86, 1984-85, 1980-81, 1978-79. The program has never had five players average in double figures for a full season.
Conference Wins
12-2 in conference competition ties the program record for wins, matching the 12-2 final record of the 1991-92 squad which won the CAA Regular Season Championship.
Total Wins
With 20 wins the Pirates have the eighth 20-win regular season in program history and the 10th total 20-win season. The program record for regular season wins is 22 and the overall record is 23.
Turned Around
Since starting 2-4, the Pirates are 18-3, including 17-3 in the last 20. This is the second best 20-game stretch in program history. The 1984-85 team had a run of 18-2 while three other teams have had 17-3 runs, most recently in 2013-14.
National Rankings
Through 27 games, the Pirates rank 18th in turnovers forced per game (21.48), 19th in the NCAA in free throws made per game (15.67), 23rd in turnover margin (+6.19), 42nd in steals per game (10.7). Individually, Kennedy Fauntleroy ranks 20th in the nation in steals with 76. This ranks first in the American Conference. Fauntleroy is also up to 46th nationally in assists with 121.
At the Helm
2025-26 is the Pirates' seventh under the tutelage of Kim McNeill. The program has a 107-99 record under her leadership.
McNeill is the fourth coach in program history with multiple 20-win seasons (Cathy Andruzzi, Emily Manwaring, Heather Macy).
With the Temple win, McNeill passed Cathy Andruzzi to move into fourth on the program's career wins list. She now has 107, one away from moving into the top three all time. Heather Macy (134), Sharon Baldwin-Tener (126) and Catherine Bolton (108) hold the top three spots.
Reclaim
Each season the Pirates choose an important word, meaningful to the team, to put on the back of their practice jerseys. In 2025-26, the team chose the word "Reclaim", signifying the group's goals after a turbulent 2024-25 of returning to their roots as a defensive minded team, getting back to their standards as role models in the community and striving for excellence in the classroom.
Players Mentioned
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