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Pirates Hit Key Free Throws Down The Stretch To Beat UCF
 
LaToya Horton scored a career-high 17 points to lead all scorers

 
Senior forward LaToya Horton
 
Senior forward LaToya Horton
 
 

Jan. 22, 2006

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ORLANDO, Fla. - The East Carolina women's basketball team hit key free throws down the stretch Sunday afternoon to pull away with a 68-63 win over UCF for their third Conference USA victory of the season.

Senior LaToya Horton netted a career-high 17 points, 13 of which came in the second half, to lead all scorers. The freshman duo of Jessica Slack and Jasmine Young each added 10 points to pace the Pirates.

After trailing 30-27 at the intermission, ECU (11-6, 3-3) trimmed the Golden Knights (4-14, 2-5) lead to two, 42-40, with 11:23 left to play. ECU took its first lead of the game, since the 8:03 mark in the first, when Young drove the paint putting the Pirates up 44-42.

The two teams would trade baskets and the game would be knotted up four times before the Pirates would take the lead for good on a pair of Cherie Mills free throws at the 5:05 mark. Mills would finish the game one-point shy of recording her 17th straight double-digit game of the season, while grabbing six rebounds.

During the final 30 seconds of play, freshmen Impris Manning and Jessica Honesty each cashed in on key free throws to secure the Pirates 11th win of the season.

 

 

Each team opened the game changing possessions during the first 5:14 with the Golden Knights taking an early 5-4 lead on an Amber Long jumper. ECU would answer with a basket of their on a Jessica Slack lay-up at the 15:23 mark.

UCF took a 15-11 lead with 9:48 remaining until the intermission before the Pirates went on an 8-0 run over the next 1:25 to take its largest lead of the half, 19-15. During the run, Slack connected on her lone three-pointer of the day and drained three consecutive free throws.

Over the next four minutes costly turnovers found the Pirates down six after a 10-0 UCF run, 25-19. The Golden Knights extended their lead to seven with 1:09 remaining after a Keunta Miles free throw. The Pirates would cut into that lead during the closing minute, netting a pair of baskets to close the gap at 30-27.

The Pirates will be back in action Friday night when they play host to SMU at 7 p.m. inside Minges Coliseum.