Pirates Look for Bounce Back at Memphis on Wednesday

Game 29: East Carolina (20-8, 12-3 American) at Memphis (8-19, 2-12 American)
Date	Wednesday, February 25
Time	8:00 p.m. (ET)
Location	Memphis, Tenn. (Elma Roane Fieldhouse)
Media Coverage	Live Stats: StatBroadcast Streaming: ESPN+
Game Notes	East Carolina
Social Media	Twitter: @ECUWBB Instagram: @ECUW BB

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina women's basketball team heads back out on the road to take on Memphis at 8 p.m. ET on Wednesday in Elma Roane Fieldhouse. The game will be available for streaming on ESPN+.

Last Time Out
The Pirates came up one play short in a 60-58 loss to conference-leading Rice on Saturday afternoon. Dominique Ennis hit the game-winning triple with 12 seconds left for the Owls as the game featured 13 lead changes and eight ties. ECU was led by Anzhané Hutton's 18-point, 14-rebound double-double in the game. Kennedy Fauntleroy added 16 points and eight assists. Ennis led the Owls with 16 points while Hailey Adams hauled in 19 rebounds to go with her 11 points.

Scouting Memphis
The Tigers enter the game at 8-19 with a 2-12 record in conference play and struggling through a seven-game skid, including a 65-62 decision at Temple in their last outing in which a last second three to tie the game fell off the mark. On the year, Daejah Richmond leads the team with 13.2 points per game to lead three Tigers in double figures scoring. Richmond leads the team in assists and steals with 91 and 71, and also averages 5.0 rebounds per game, just behind Tamya Smith's team-leading 5.2 per game along with 11.4 points.

Series History
The Pirates and Tigers have met 47 times dating back to 2002 with a 25-22 edge to ECU overall, including a 74-65 victory on Jan. 3 this season. Four Pirates scored in double figures in that game, led by Jayla Hearp and Keanna Rembert with 16 points apiece. Rembert shot 10-10 from the foul line in the game. Kennedy Fauntleroy scored 14 points in the game as well while contributing seven assists and four steals. Memphis was led by Tamya Smith's 11 points.

ECU versus...
ECU is 88-110 all time in American Conference regular season play and 45-58 in the McNeill era. ECU is 126-151 all time in games against current members of the American Conference.

ECU is 36-40 all time against schools from the state of Tennessee and 11-6 in the McNeill era (0-1 vs. Middle Tennessee).

Rice Game Notables

ECU has made multiple three-point shots in 35 consecutive games dating back to Feb. 15, 2025 vs. Charlotte.
ECU has made 159 three-point shots this season, tied for eighth in program history.
This was ECU's first loss when leading at the half and first when shooting a higher field goal percentage than its opponent. The team was previously 9-0 and 15-0 in such games.
ECU is 1-3 all time in regular season games featuring two 20-win teams

National Rankings
Through 28 games, the Pirates rank 18th in the NCAA in free throws made per game (15.46), 23rd in turnover margin (+6.19), 21st in turnovers forced per game (21.18), 46th in steals per game (10.5). Individually, Kennedy Fauntleroy ranks 24th in the nation in steals with 77. This ranks first in the American Conference. Fauntleroy is also 47th nationally in assists with 129.

Something More Than Free
The Pirates have made 433 free throws this season on a 73.3 percent clip. If it holds, that would be a program record percentage (72.0 in 2013-14).

At the Helm
2025-26 is the Pirates' seventh under the tutelage of Kim McNeill. The program has a 107-100 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.

Next Event

Players Mentioned

Kennedy Fauntleroy

Jayla Hearp

Keanna Rembert

Footer