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Lady Pirates Fall To Ball State In Pirate Invitational Title Game
 

 

 
 
 
Lady Pirates Fall To Ball State In Pirate Invitational Title Game
11/29/2003

  • Box score
  • Postgame quotes
  • Postgame notes

    GREENVILLE, N.C. -- The East Carolina women's basketball team fell to Ball State, 81-78, in the championship game of the Lady Pirate Invitational in front of 2,776 fans inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Saturday night.

    The Lady Pirates (2-2) fell behind early in the contest when Ball State's Kate Endress hit a pair of shots to give the Cardinals (3-2) a 11-4 advantage in the first 4:03 of the half. ECU would go on a run of their own and take a five-point lead (22-17) at the 11 minute mark after a Jennifer Jackson three-pointer, one of five on the night.

    ECU would relinquish its lead to Ball State after Jessica Reiter connected on two first-half three-pointers to give the Cardinals the lead at 25-22.

    Senior forward Courtney Willis kept ECU within striking distance as she poured in 18 of her 23 points and recorded nine of her 12 rebounds in the first-half. But Ball State would take the lead into the intermission 42-38 behind tournament MVP Endress' 10 first-half points.

    The Cardinals seemed to put the game out of reach when Johna Goff sank a three-pointer with 9:02 left to play to put them up by 10. But ECU's Jackson scored 14 second-half points, including four three-point baskets to put the Pirates within three, 81-78, with 20.7 seconds left to go in regulation.

    With 11.7 seconds remaining, Ball State's Endress missed a one-and-one opportunity and Jackson ran down the court for a last second effort that came up short and sealed a Cardinal victory.

    Willis and Jackson earned all-tournament team honors for their play. Jackson finished with 19 points and three rebounds. Sophomore forward LaToya Horton and freshman guard Tamekia Powell both scored a career-high 10 points, while Keisha Anthony and Viola Cooper added seven each.

    The Lady Pirates will return to action Wednesday, Dec. 3 when they travel to Raleigh, N.C., to face instate rival N.C. State, with a 7 p.m. tip-off. ECU's next home game will be Saturday, Dec. 6 at 3 p.m. The Lady Pirates will face Coppin State in the first round of the US Cellular Classic, hosted by ECU.

    All-Tournament Team
    Kathleen Nygaard - Eastern Washington
    Shannon Sword - Cleveland State
    Johna Goff - Ball State
    Jennifer Jackson - East Carolina
    Courtney Willis - East Carolina

    Tournament MVP
    Kate Endress - Ball State

    East Carolina v. Cleveland State
    Nov. 28, 2003
    Postgame Quotes

    East Carolina Head Coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener

  • On Courtney Willis in the first half:
    "I think that Courtney played well today. When they double teamed her on the inside, she was able to kick it out to the weak guard and we were able to move the ball quick. She had seven offensive boards at half-time and I think that was big for keeping us in the game."

  • On Ball State's shooting:
    "They shot the ball very well from the floor, the three-point and the free throw line tonight. Any time that you hit your free throws down the stretch, you've got a good chance of winning."

  • On Ball State:
    "They are a very good ball club and have a lot of balance offensively. They are very aggressive offensively."

  • On getting the outside shots to fall:
    "I think that you have to practice and those will take care of themselves. We have to realize where we are as a team right now. When we look at the stats, it seems that every team that we play shoots a better percentage than we do. I don't think that it is a coincidence. Our defense is allowing them to have better shots and we are forcing a lot of shots on the offensive end. We have to be a little more patient. Instead of shooting the quick shot, we've got to move the ball around and get a better shot."

  • On rebounding:
    "I am disappointed in our rebounding tonight. There were a couple of times during the game that we dominated on the boards, then there were other times it looked like it was important for us to get the rebound. Ball State did a pretty good job down the stretch of securing the defensive rebound when were quick to shoot the basketball."

  • On the play of the new comers:
    "It was a good experience for Keisha (Anthony) and Tamekia (Powell) to get out on the floor and get some quality minutes. Keisha is so aggressive on the offensive and defensive end that she makes things happen for us. Tamekia played about as comfortable as she has played all year, and as each game goes along, she is gaining more and more confidence."

  • On N.C. State:
    "We have to get back to work on Monday and be ready to play N.C. State on Wednesday. They've got a very good team and a very good program."

    East Carolina v. Cleveland State
    Nov. 28, 2003
    Postgame Notes

  • Courtney Willis and Jennifer Jackson earned all-tournament team honors.
  • Four Lady Pirates scored in double figures: Willis (23), Jackson (12), Powell (10) and Horton (10).
  • Willis collected her third consecutive double-double of the season and 11th of her career.
  • For the first time this season ECU was out rebounded by its opponent, pulling down 34 boards to Ball State's 36.


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