Nov. 21, 2010

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East Carolina Women's Basketball Gameday Central

GREENVILLE, N.C. - East Carolina plays the second of four-straight home games Monday, taking on Division II member Virginia Union. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. at Minges Coliseum.

The Pirates look to rebound from an 84-73 loss at the hands of in-state rival UNC Wilmington in which senior Kim Gay posted her fifth career double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds.

Junior Chareya Smith followed close behind with 11 points, complemented by 10-point outbursts from Ashley Clarke, Celeste Stewart and Ariana Jackson. Clarke also recorded a team-best six assists.

Junior Jean Best logged her first playing time of the season, scoring seven points and grabbing two rebounds in 10 minutes.

ECU out-shot the Seahawks 48.1-43.8, but only managed to put up 54 shots. The Pirates were also out-rebounded for the third time in as many contests as UNC Wilmington held a 43-32 advantage, including 18 offensive rebounds which it converted to 17 second-chance points.

East Carolina takes on its first Division II opponent since facing Presbyterian Nov. 22, 2008. The Pirates allowed the third-least points in program history that night, defeating the Blue Hose 61-28.

Virginia Union enters the contest at 0-3, most recently dropping a 68-63 decision to Christopher Newport. The Pirates and Panthers have never met on the hardwood.

HOME IS WHERE THE WINS ARE
ECU protected its home court last season, racking up a 12-2 record at Minges Coliseum for the second consecutive year. That mark matched the second-most single-season wins in school history and was the most since 2000-01. The Pirates are 24-6 at home in the last 30 games and have racked up a Conference USA ledger of 13-3. East Carolina also set a new record of consecutive wins to start a home season, taking its first 12, capped off by a 74-64 victory over UTEP.

FIRST TO 30...FIELD GOALS
East Carolina converted 30 field goals against Drexel in the first round of the 2010 WNIT, marking the 23rd time since the start of the 2006-07 campaign that the Pirates have accomplished the feat. The last four of five occurrences have been in overtime.

STARTING 10?
It seems like the Pirate bench gets deeper with each passing season and is an extension of the starting five. There is some truth to that statement, as East Carolina's bench has outscored its opponents' benches in 54 of the last 67 games and both this season.

UP NEXT FOR THE PIRATES
After facing Virginia Union, the Pirates continue their four-game homestand with a contest against Maryland. The Pirates and Terrapins played for the first time last season as Maryland came away with an 87-52 victory in the second round of the 2010 WNIT.

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