With 6,865 fans in attendance, it was an all-time record for an East Carolina women’s basketball game as the Pirates defeated Howard, 65-44, on Wednesday afternoon in Minges Coliseum. Amiya Joyner was sensational in the game with a career-high 32 points to go with 15 rebounds and a pair of blocks.
The Pirates (3-2) and Bison (3-2) struggled out of the gate to just a 9-6 first quarter before the teams finally found some offense. A 16-2 run for the Pirates during that time helped to blow open a lead as the visitors made just one basket between the 7:39 mark of the first quarter and the 5:24 mark of the second, a period of over 12 minutes played.
The Pirates would use another run, this time to the tune of 19-3 in the third quarter to expand a nine-point halftime lead into a margin north of 20. It was 25-7 in the third quarter all told to make it a 56-23 margin after Joyner beat the buzzer with a right-handed layup. Howard got the better of the fourth quarter as the Pirates went to the bench and struggled at times, playing to the final 21-point margin.
Joyner did much of her work in the first three quarters as she nearly had a double-double by halftime and with 27 points through 30 minutes played, found herself ahead of Howard’s 26 points all by herself. After entering with a previous career best of 27, Joyner made sure to push father in the fourth quarter and used five points in the final frame to earn her first career 30-point outing.
The junior’s 32 points helped her eclipse 800 for her career now with 806 in just over two seasons of action. Her 15-rebound game also made her just the third player in ECU history with 10-or-more such games (Rosie Thompson/Debbie Freeman, 12).
The Pirates also got some solid guard play from Jayla Hearp and Khia Miller who finished with 13 and 11 points apiece on a combined seven of 13 from the field. Hearp’s three made three-point shots also marked her best since hitting a career-high five against High Point on education day back on Nov. 16, 2022. That was also notably the date of the previous high attendance mark for the program.
Notables
- 55 total rebounds for the Pirates were there most since the 2023 American Athletic Conference Championship Game against Houston.
- Free throws continue to be an issue for the Pirates, shooting just 14-25 (56.0 percent) on Wednesday.
- Joyner keeps climbing as her two blocks give her 102 for her career, inching towards fifth in ECU history.
Up Next
The Pirates will have some time off before heading to Las Vegas, Nev. where they will take on Montana State on Wednesday, Nov. 27 at 5:30 p.m. ET
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