Pirates come up short at home against Florida Atlantic, 78-76

by | Jan 5, 2025

By ECUPirates.com

GREENVILLE, N.C. – C.J. Walker scored a game-high 21 points and grabbed 13 rebounds but the Pirates could not come up with a game-tying or game-winning shot in the final seconds, losing to Florida Atlantic 78-76 inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.

Jordan Riley added 19 points, nine rebounds and five steals for the Pirates (8-7, 0-2 AAC) who have lost six of their last seven games. RJ Feltonadded 15 points in his first game off the bench since Jan. 15, 2023 against South Florida and Jayshayne Woodardrecorded 10 points and five rebounds in his second start of the season.

Ken Evans Jr. and Tre Carroll each scored 17 points to lead Florida Atlantic (8-7, 1-1 AAC).

The Owls blitzed the Pirates with an early 10-2 run as ECU missed eight of its first nine shots of the game to find itself trailing 15-2 at the 14:56 mark of the first half. ECU would whittle the deficit to six with a 7-2 spurt capped off by a putback slam from Walker to force an FAU timeout with 12:14 remaining in the half.

Florida Atlantic came out of the timeout and nailed three shots from behind the arc to push the lead back to 13 before the Pirates went on a 9-0 run to close within four after a Woodard three-pointer at the 5:14 mark. ECU would get to within two points twice in the final two minutes of the half but the Owls would hold a 40-36 halftime lead.

The Pirates battled coming out of the locker room and took their first lead of the game on a second chance basket from Walker to make the score 50-48 with 14 minutes left in the game. ECU took its largest lead of five after a Felton layup made it 57-52 but the Owls used an 8-1 run to recapture the lead with 9:24 to go.

Down four with five minutes to go, ECU took the momentum after a Yann Farell three and a thunderous slam from Riley put the Pirates back in front, 68-67, with 4:45 remaining. Florida Atlantic would make back-breaking shots down the stretch but the Pirates had one final chance after a steal from Woodard but ECU missed all three chances to send the game to overtime or win it at the buzzer.

Game Notes

  • Jordan Riley tied a career-high in steals with five and has recorded five steals twice this season.
  • C.J. Walker scored 20-plus points for the seventh time this season and the seventh time of his career.
  • Yann Farell made his first start of the year for the Pirates.
  • ECU has forced its opponent into 10 or more turnovers in nine straight games.
  • The Pirates’ 25 offensive rebounds were a season high.
  • ECU has lost all four games when trailing at the half this year.

Up Next
East Carolina remains at home as the Pirates host Temple on Wednesday at 7 p.m. on ESPN+.

Top Headlines

Harold Varner III has best finish of 2025 LIV Golf season in Dallas

Although he didn’t win, East Carolina golf alum Harold Varner III picked up a nice consolation prize at Sunday’s LIV Golf Dallas tournament. Varner shot his second straight par on Sunday to finish at -5 and tied for fifth. His 4Aces GC teammate, Patrick Reed, won a...

CFL Week 4: DaShaun Amos, Hamilton pick up first win of season.

East Carolina football alum DaShaun Amos and his new team, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, picked up their first win of the season on Saturday as Week 4 of the CFL season wrapped up. Amos, who joined the team as a free agent after playing for the Toronto Argonauts, had three...

Could Linval Joseph help fill gap on DL for Raiders?

The Las Vegas Raiders may need some help on the defensive line. Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins has not recovered from his broken foot that cut his season short in 2024. JustBlogBaby.com reports he did not participate in OTAs and minicamp in the spring. That means...

Harold Varner III shares first-round lead at LIV Golf Dallas

A familiar face is at the top of the leaderboard at the LIV Golf Dallas event. Nothing like playing with your teammates 🤝#LIVGolfDallas @4AcesGC_ pic.twitter.com/jGBDBsCDu3 — LIV Golf (@livgolf_league) June 27, 2025 East Carolina golf alum Harold Varner III is tied...