HAMPTON, Va. – The East Carolina women’s basketball team earned a dominant victory over Hampton on Thursday morning by a score of 79-47. The Pirates put five players in double-figures scoring, the first time doing so since in the Kim McNeill era.
The Pirates (5-4) got off to a hot start in the game, jumping out to a 19-6 lead after 10 minutes of play, ending that opening period on a 15-2 run. During that quarter, Jayla Hearp was awesome with an 8-0 run of her own on back-to-back three-point shots and a fast-break layup. Hearp entered the game after an 0-10 outing last time out, a much-needed breakout for the junior guard. She finished the game with a dozen.
It was also an excellent defensive quarter in the opening frame for the team with a pair of blocks for Amiya Joyner and just three made field goals allowed for Hampton (2-5). Joyner had a strong start to the game with four points and three rebounds to go with her two rejections to open things up.
ECU kept rolling in the second quarter as they built and 18-point lead, let Hampton sneak back into the game, then pushed the margin back up before the break. Six players scored for the Pirates in the second quarter with Anzhané Hutton posting a team-high five points in the period. The margin could have been greater but for Jenae Dublin going 6-6 from the foul line for the hosts to keep them afloat going into the half.
The Pirates truly broke it open in the third quarter with a 14-0 run before even reaching the under-five media timeout. Joyner began to exhibit her dominance in the posts during that stretch with six quick points as all five of the East Carolina field goals to begin the quarter came on the end of assists.
The visitors finished the quarter in similar fashion with a 10-1 run which expanded the lead to 35, including back-to-back triples by Khia Miller and Jade Tillman. All told, it was a dominant 26-10 third quarter which saw nine ECU players find their way onto the score sheet.
In the fourth, the Pirates did some good work to put the icing on the cake with Synia Johnson, Hutton and Miller working their way into double-figures scoring with a 12, 11 and 10, respectively, and Joyner putting the finishing touches on her double-double which wound up being a terrific 16-point, 10-rebound, three-block, two-assist outing on a torrid 8-10 from the field.
Notables
- The Pirates 20 assists were their most since accumulating 25 helpers in a 2OT win against Houston on Feb. 22, 2023. Micah Dennis has 12 assists in that game.
- The Pirates put five players in double-figures scoring for the first time since Jan. 27, 2018, in a game at Cincinnati.
Up Next
The Pirates stay in the Commonwealth for a meeting with Old Dominion on Sunday at 3:30 p.m. The game will be streamed on ESPN+.