Pirates drop hard-fought game at Rice, 65-56

by | Jan 18, 2025

By ECUPirates.com

HOUSTON, TexasThe East Carolina women’s basketball team dropped a hard-fought contest, 65-56, to the Rice Owls on Saturday afternoon in Tudor Fieldhouse. The Pirates battled back to erase a first-half deficit but faltered down the stretch with the Owls closing the game on a 7-0 run.

The Pirates (10-8, 2-4 AAC) got off to a slow start again on Saturday, trailing by six after a quarter and five at half after scoring just 10 points in each of the first two periods. Anzhané Huttonwas spectacular in that first half, keeping the team in the game with 10 points, seven rebounds, a block and an assist on a perfect 4-4 from the field and 2-2 from the foul line.

After halftime, the visitors got reinforcements elsewhere as they came to life to take the lead, going in front on a couple of occasions in the third quarter. Jayla Hearp had a run of five-straight points during that stretch and Devin Hagemann and Khia Millercontributed key baskets.

Rice (10-8, 3-3 AAC), as they have become accustomed to against ECU, hit the big baskets when it counted. They only made three of their eight three-point attempts in the second half, but they were killers and it seemed time and again that those pesky Owls had a timely answer to a Pirates run.

Victoria Flores paced the hosts with 18 as three Owls—Emily Klaczek with 14 and Aniah Alexis with 13—scored in double figures.

In a battle of two great rebounding teams, the Owls also took an edge in the category in the second half to the tune of a 17-12 advantage. The Pirates had nine offensive rebounds in the first half but were limited to just three in the second.

The game was officially turned on its head with 3:24 in the third when on a clean block, Hutton was called for a rather bizarre technical for taunting which resulted in a four-point contests turning to an eight-point game in a matter of seconds. The Pirates recovered to get back into the game but were never able to get back over the hump to take the lead back.

The Pirates had a good chance to make something from nothing in the dying seconds of the game when Miller got two good clean looks at a three in what was just a five-point game at the time. Had those fallen, who knows, but the basketball gods were unkind to the Pirate sophomore and Rice held on for the win.

For the day, three ECU players scored in double figures. Led by Hutton’s 16, Miller and Hearp both scored 10. Hutton also contributed nine rebounds, just missing a second double-double in as many games.

Up Next
The Pirates return to Minges Coliseum for game one of a three-game home stand as they host the Temple Owls on Wednesday with a 6 p.m. tip on ESPN+.

Check out Pirate Radio

Website | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram | YouTube

Top Headlines

ECU’s Frost named AAC Pitcher of the Week in softball

By ECUPirates.com IRVING, Texas – East Carolina freshman pitcher Kendall Frost has been named the American Athletic Conference Pitcher of the Week according to an announcement from the league office on Monday afternoon. Frost becomes the first Pirate freshman pitcher...

Jeff Hoffman at Spring Training, ‘Excited to get going this year’

Monday was a big day for new Toronto Blue Jays relief pitcher and ECU alum Jeff Hoffman. He reported to Spring Training in Dunedin, Fla., and the cameras were front and center with him. “Just got done getting my work in on the field,” Hoffman said in a video posted to...

Burleson ready to prove his worth again for Cardinals

Alec Burleson finds himself in a similar spot going into Spring Training that he experienced this time last year. At the start of the 2024 season, he wasn’t sure where he factored into the St. Louis Cardinals’ lineup. He was slotted into the lineup after injuries and...

PRL Monday: We break down ECU baseball, basketball and more

It was a busy weekend of sports, so there's a lot to talk about on "Pirate Radio Live" on Monday. We had ECU baseball starting the season against George Mason. The ECU men's and women's basketball teams picked up wins and the softball team played in the Pirate...

The Brian Bailey Show: ECU Hall of Famer Gary Overton

Monday's edition of "The Brian Bailey Show" features one certain-to-be-hall-of-famer interviewing another who is an ECU Hall of Famer. Brian Bailey will have former ECU baseball coach Dr. Gary Overton on his show, which airs at noon on 92.7 FM, 104.1 FM and on our...

Zay Jones could factor into Arizona’s 2025 plans

The 2024 NFL season didn’t go quite as ECU alum and Arizona Cardinals receiver Zay Jones had hoped. On Aug. 23, 2024, he was suspended for five games without pay for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy. The suspension stemmed from his arrest in a domestic...

Strong finish nets Harold Varner III tie for 7th at LIV Golf event

On Sunday, ECU alum Harold Varner III had his best outing in the final round of the LIV Golf Adelaide in Australia. Varner shot a 3-under-par to finish at 6-under-par. The finish allowed him to end in a five-way tie for seventh place. He picked up $470,500 with his...

ECU earns softball split to close out Pirate Clash

By ECUPirates.com The East Carolina softball team earned a split on its final day of the Pirate Clash, beating No. 22 Boston 4-1 before falling to UMBC 4-3 on Saturday afternoon at Max R. Joyner Family Stadium. Game One: East Carolina 4, No. 22 Boston 1 Kendall...

Draft Kings has Connor Norby among top 3B in fantasy rankings

Opening Day for Major League Baseball is six weeks away. Spring Training has already begun for many teams. Fantasy sports, however, is year-round. Draft Kings has been taking a look at every position in the American League and National League heading into Spring...

Felton’s second-half explosion helps fuel Pirates past Charlotte

By ECUPirates.com CHARLOTTE, N.C. – RJ Felton scored a game-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting from behind the arc as East Carolina rallied in the second half to defeat in-state rival Charlotte, 75-59, on Saturday afternoon at Halton Arena. Buccaneer Scoreboard - ECU...