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Captain Lifts ECU To First Conference USA Win Of The Season
 
Senior Courtney Captain scores 29 points in his final home game to lift ECU to 79-78 win over UTEP

 
Courtney Captain
 
Courtney Captain
 
 

Feb. 24, 2007

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GREENVILLE, N.C. --- East Carolina senior guard Courtney Captain drilled a 3-pointer from the wing with 8.3 seconds left to lift East Carolina to a 79-78 win over Conference USA foe UTEP Saturday night in the final home game of his career.

The victory snapped a 13-game losing streak for the Pirates (6-21, 1-13), who earned their first Conference USA win of season. The loss was the Miners (14-14, 6-8) fourth in their last five games.

Captain, the lone senior on the team, poured in a career-high 29 points, including 24 points in the first half. Junior Darrell Jenkins finished with 16 points and dished out nine assists to set the ECU single-season record for assists with 152. Freshman John Fields also netted 15 points in the victory.

The Pirates jumped out to an early lead, making five 3s in the first 5 minutes of play, four courtesy of Captain. He finished 6-of-11 from behind the arc and shot 9-of-16 overall from the floor and didn't miss a single free throw (5-of-5).

With ECU ahead by two with just over four minutes left until halftime, Captain scored six straight points to ignite a 15-6 run and give the Pirates their largest halftime lead since November, 49-38.

ECU shot 56.3 percent from the field in the first half, while UTEP made 44.8 percent of its attempts before the break.

Junior Cory Farmer gave the Pirates a 14-point lead, 57-43, three minutes into the second half before UTEP made its run. The Miners out-scored the Pirates 20-3 over a nine-minute stretch to pull within two, 63-61, with 8:38 left.

 

 

Stefon Jackson then gave UTEP its first lead since the first minute of the game with 1:55 left, 74-73. ECU then tied the game twice on a free throw from Fields and then again on a layup by Jenkins.

With UTEP clinging to a one-point lead, the Pirates sent Kevin Henderson to the free throw line where he made one of two free throws with 28 seconds left, leaving the door open for Captain's heroics.

Jackson netted 24 points in the loss, while forward Dale Vanwright scored 17 points. Guard Malik Alvin came off the bench to score 12 as did forward Maurice Thomas, who netted 13 points.

East Carolina finished the game shooting nearly 46 percent from behind the arc (11-of-24), while UTEP made just 5-of-22 3-point attempts (22.7%).