WICHITA, Kan. – RJ Felton scored 11 points and hit the game-winning shot to lift East Carolina over Wichita State 75-72 on Saturday night at Charles Koch Arena.
WATCH: RJ Felton shocks the Shockers with a running buzzer beater to give ECU Basketball the dub at Wichita State! #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/fsCrlwEJNz
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) January 19, 2025
C.J. Walker added a career-high 28 points and Jordan Riley scored 16 points for the Pirates (10-9, 2-4 AAC) who have won their last three games at Wichita.
Corey Washington led Wichita State (11-7, 1-4 AAC) with 18 points and 19 rebounds.
Buccaneer Scoreboard – Paint it! ECU Basketball goes on the road to Wichita State and comes away with the conference win. CJ Walker lead all scorers with 28 points. pic.twitter.com/knPLHXH9pf
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) January 19, 2025
Jordan Riley got the Pirates on the board first with a floater that was scored as a goaltend after Wichita State’s Quincy Ballard blocked the shot on the way down but points would be hard to come by before the first media timeout as the Pirates missed their next four shots and turned it over twice to allow the Shockers an early 8-2 lead.
CALLED GAME! @felton_j1 🏴☠️🔥#1ECU pic.twitter.com/LGk3mXDiH9
— East Carolina Men’s Basketball (@ecubasketball) January 19, 2025
After a three-pointer extended the Shockers’ lead to 11-3, Felton and Riley scored on back-to-back possessions to pull ECU within three points. The Pirates went on a 9-0 run capped off by a three-point play from Cam Hayes to take their first lead of the game at 17-16 with 11 minutes to go in the half but ECU went cold, missing their six of their next seven shots as Wichita State scored six unanswered to pull back in front, 26-22, and force a Pirates timeout at the 6:24 mark.
Walking 🪣 @Cjwalker_14 #1ECU pic.twitter.com/xJjFbuKyNF
— East Carolina Men’s Basketball (@ecubasketball) January 19, 2025
Riley gave the Pirates some momentum to end the half with six straight points including a thunderous one-hand dunk as ECU went into the half ahead 36-33.
The Pirates extended their halftime lead after Walker scored seven points by himself and ECU forced a WSU timeout with a steal and score from Riley that gave ECU a 48-36 lead at the 16:25 mark of the second half.
These never get old!🏴☠️#1ECU pic.twitter.com/aIZJkG2ClI
— East Carolina Men’s Basketball (@ecubasketball) January 19, 2025
Three turnovers in the span of a minute and a half fueled a 6-0 Shocker run and pulled Wichita State within six points as the Pirates called a timeout to slow down the home team’s run. Walker’s second three of the game would give ECU a little breathing room but Wichita State would not go away as a layup from Justin Hill tied the game at 60 with under eight minutes to go.
From the logo!🫣 @TheCamHayes #1ECU pic.twitter.com/QVh6Fn2iLp
— East Carolina Men’s Basketball (@ecubasketball) January 19, 2025
The Shockers retook the lead on a layup from Corey Washington but Felton responded with a three to quiet the crowd and put the Pirates back in front 63-62. Hayes would hit a three to push ECU’s lead to five but a three from the Shockers’ Hill tied the game again at 68 with 1:21 left in the game.
After both teams traded baskets, Ballard tied the game at 72 with seven seconds left setting up Felton’s last-second heroics to give ECU its first road win of the season.
Game Notes
- RJ Felton’s three-pointer at the 15:18 mark of the first half moved the senior guard to seventh all-time in scoring at East Carolina, passing Anton Gill (1,785 career points).
- ECU’s starting five of Woodard, Felton, Riley, LaBeaux and Malonga was the sixth different starting lineup for the Pirates this year.
- Jordan Riley has recorded a steal in nine consecutive games.
- In their last three games in Wichita, ECU has led at the half in all three of those games.
- C.J. Walker reached the 1,000-point mark for his collegiate career with his three-pointer at the 12:32 mark of the second half and Walker’s three made shots from behind the arc is a career-best.
- Cam Hayes also reached the 1,000-point mark for his collegiate career after his three-pointer at the 3:47 mark of the second half.
Up Next
East Carolina concludes its two-game road stretch on Tuesday when the Pirates visit Tulsa for an 8 p.m. ET tip-off on ESPN+.
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