Pirates rally in second half to defeat UAB, 82-75

by | Feb 12, 2025

By ECUPirates.com

C.J. Walker scored 29 points and grabbed five rebounds as East Carolina defeated UAB 82-75 in American Athletic Conference action on Tuesday evening inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

RJ Felton added 23 points for the Pirates (14-11, 6-6) who have won their second straight game and five of their last seven. Jordan Riley chipped 12 points and recorded three steals while Cam Hayes scored in double figures for the second straight game with 10 points.


Yaxel Lendeborg led UAB 15-9 (8-3 AAC) with 22 points and 10 rebounds.

Felton got ECU on the board first with a three-pointer that moved him to fourth all-time in scoring at East Carolina as the Pirates raced out to an early 10-4 lead in the first five minutes of the game. UAB responded with an 11-4 spurt to go in front 15-14 and the Blazers would go up by as much as seven in the first half.

Back-to-back baskets from Reid Cason trimmed UAB’s lead to three but Blazers scored right before the end of the half to go in the half ahead 36-31.

UAB extended their lead to 45-33 with 16:22 remaining in the game but the Pirates began their rally with a 13-1 burst to pull within a point and make the score 47-46 at the 13:16 mark.

Felton scored on a fast break layup to give the Pirates their first lead since 11:38 in the first half but the Blazers kept things close, and both teams exchanged leads 10 times in a four-minute span. Riley’s layup with 2:04 remaining gave ECU a 75-70 lead but back-to-back scores from UAB would knot the game at 75.

Felton would hit to go-ahead layup with 45 seconds left and the Pirates hit their free throws down the stretch to hold off UAB for the win.

Up Next
East Carolina travels to in-state foe Charlotte on Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPNEWS.

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