East Carolina’s final regular season home game was a good one in large part to the play of RJ Felton.
The Pirates beat Tulane, 73-64, on Thursday at Minges Coliseum. They led from start to finish to improve to 18-12 overall, 10-7 in the AAC.
Buccaneer Scoreboard – Paint it! ECU Basketball beats Tulane in the Pirates’ final home game of the season. RJ Felton lead the attack with 17 points. pic.twitter.com/CQT1ofmL5N
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) March 7, 2025
Below is a full report from ECU Sports Information. Videos and photos from Pirate Radio are also included.
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Photo credit (RJ Felton, ECU Sports Information)
RJ Felton scored 17 points on 7-of-15 shooting as East Carolina defeated Tulane 73-64 in wire-to-wire fashion on Thursday evening inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
WATCH: ECU Basketball Coach Mike Schwartz after the win over Tulane “Really proud of our guys … a one through 16 team effort, meaning all 16 guys scout team guys that don’t play freshman all the way up to CJ, RJ & Cam as seniors. I thought this was a really strong team effort.” pic.twitter.com/nAMBm5ZJ6N
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) March 7, 2025
Jordan Riley and C.J. Walker each added 15 points for the Pirates (18-12, 10-7 AAC) who have won three in a row and six of their last seven games. Cam Hayes tallied 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from behind the arc and dished out seven assists.
🏴☠️🏀 RJ Felton making sure to thank as many fans as possible before leaving the court after the win over Tulane. A special, special Pirate. pic.twitter.com/dR1thChuk6
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) March 7, 2025
Asher Woods had a game-high 21 points to lead Tulane (17-13, 11-6 AAC).
East Carolina has now won double digit conference games for the first time since the 1974-75 season.
An under-the-radar story in the AAC and a heck of a coaching job by Michael Schwartz.
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) March 7, 2025
The Pirates hit seven of their first 11 shots to blitz Tulane early and take an 18-5 lead at the 13:14 mark of the first half. ECU’s lead grew to as much as 17 after a steal and thunderous slam from Riley made it 28-11.
🏴☠️🏀 ECU Basketball celebrates with Pirate Nation after the win over Tulane! pic.twitter.com/xzfV5IrvYd
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) March 7, 2025
Tulane slowly crept back into the game, outscoring the Pirates 13-5 over a five-minute span, but the Pirates were able to have an answer for every Green Wave run as Walker’s alley-oop just before the half brought the Minges crowd to its feet and gave ECU a 42-31 halftime lead.
🏴☠️🏀 It’s rowdy in Minges as the NO QUARTER flag flies. Pirates lead the Green Wave 61-51. pic.twitter.com/Tyfe6vsUhH
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) March 7, 2025
The Green Wave got within seven to open up the second half but the Pirates once again responded with a 15-5 spurt that featured a couple of highlight dunks from Jayshayne Woodard and Riley to push the lead back to double figures.
🏴☠️🏀 ECU Basketball has Minges rocking! pic.twitter.com/UH2sJP1iCb
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) March 7, 2025
That trend continued in the final 10 minutes as every time Tulane cut its deficit down to 10 points or single digits, the Pirates answered with a score to halt the Green Wave’s comeback attempt and get their 18th win of the season.
OH MY GOODNESS 😱 pic.twitter.com/09F8PvDer8
— East Carolina Men’s Basketball (@ecubasketball) March 7, 2025
Game Notes
- The starting five of Hayes, Felton, Riley, Walker and LaBeaux started their sixth straight game and 18th game of the season.
- The Pirates reached double digit conference wins for the first time since the 1974-75 season in the Southern Conference.
- RJ Felton reached 1,700 points for his career with his three-pointer at the 13:14 mark of the first half.
- ECU tied a season-high for made threes in a first half with seven.
- ECU improved to 11-5 when leading at the half and 8-2 when hitting more threes than their opponent.
🏴☠️📸 Game Day Pics by Michels & Gauquie https://t.co/h4axvyu4QS – Pirate Nation enjoying a night out at Minges for ECU Basketball vs Tulane in the Pirates’ final home game of the season. See all of today’s fan pics here – https://t.co/ME1GYlOeUh pic.twitter.com/Oir9TRqQUp
— Pirate Radio ☠️ (@PR927FM) March 7, 2025
East Carolina concludes its regular season down in Boca Raton on Sunday when the Pirates face Florida Atlantic at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.