C.J. Walker scored a game-high 16 points but the Pirates could not overcome a turnover-filled night offensively as UNCW defeated ECU 67-53 on Tuesday evening inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
Jordan Riley added 14 points for the Pirates (7-2) who saw their three-game winning streak come to a halt as the team committed a season-high 17 turnovers and shot 4-of-19 (21.1 percent) from behind the arc. Julien Soumaoro scored seven points in his return and Jayshayne Woodard provided eight points and seven rebounds.
Donovan Newby and Harlan Obioha each added 12 points for the Seahawks (6-2).
ECU started the game off on fire as the Pirates built an early 8-2 lead on three-pointers from Walker and Cam Hayes to go along with a vicious slam from Riley. The hot start would fizzle out as
ECU went eight minutes without a field goal until Walker’s alley-oop slam put ECU back in front 16-15 with 8:34 in the half. UNCW would close the half strong, turning a 17-17 tie into a 34-28 deficit for the Pirates going into the locker room.
UNCW would push its lead to nine on a Montgomery three-pointer after the Pirates cut the lead to four and would stretch their advantage to 13 after a three-point play with 14:43 to go in the game. The Pirates would find life turning defense into offense by holding the Seahawks scoreless for nearly three minutes and going on an 8-0 run to cut the deficit to 54-49 and force a UNCW timeout with 9:23 remaining.
With a chance to get the lead under five, the Pirates committed a costly turnover that resulted in a layup and then a three to push the UNCW’s lead back to double figures as the Pirates were unable to get any closer the rest of the way.
Game Notes
- RJ Felton saw his streak of 33 straight games in double figures snapped as the senior scored three points on 1-of-12 shooting.
- The Pirates are 1-2 this season when losing the battle on the boards as UNCW held a 39-31 edge.
- ECU is 0-2 when they make less free throws than their opponent.
- Tuesday night marked ECU’s first loss to UNCW at home in 11 years as the Seahawks last defeated the Pirates on Dec. 1, 2013.
East Carolina travels to Columbia, S.C. to face South Carolina on Saturday at 2 p.m. on SEC Network+ and ESPN+.
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