The East Carolina women’s basketball team recognized its seniors, then went out and took care of American Conference foe Charlotte on Saturday.
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Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information)
It was fitting on Senior Day that the senior class combined for 55 of the team’s 64 points as the East Carolina women’s basketball team earned a 64-57 win over the Charlotte 49ers on Saturday afternoon in Minges Coliseum.
The contest was Senior Day, honoring the group of Savannah Brooks, Jayla Hearp, Anzhané Hutton, Kennedy Fauntleroy, Keanna Rembert and Bobbi Smith.
Though the Pirates (21-9, 13-4 American) led for nearly 35 minutes of game time, the contest was actually closer than the stat indicates. The game was within reach either way until the third quarter when a 13-2 ECU run opened up a 10-point lead which was, in a low scoring affair, enough to hold off its in-state foe for the duration.
Still, the Pirates led by only a single point at halftime after what was a frustrating first half. The team only made two field goals (2-17) in the opening quarter, at one time missing 11 straight from the field, but were saved by a 9-12 effort from the charity stripe. Five ECU players made a field goal in the opening quarter and both field goals were made by the lone starter who didn’t make a foul shot as Keanna Rembert put up five points, including a big three-point shot late in the period.
In the second, ECU settled in a tad, but only a tad, shooting 6-17 from the field, but only managing two more free throws. It was in hat quarter that Princess Anderson truly began to make her mark for Charlotte. The guard scored eight in the second, on her way to a 23-point outing. It was not until the late stages of the game that Anderson had less than half of the 49ers’ total points.
But try as Anderson might, the Pirates finally found breathing room in that third, using a pair of three-point shots by Savannah Brooks and seven of eight more shots from the foul line to pull away. Brooks finished the game with a dozen, second for the Pirates only behind Anzhané Hutton who put up 14 to go with a career high-tying five steals. Hutton also made a three in the game and now has 15 for the year, making this the first season in program history in which six ECU players have made 15-or-more three-point shots.
Charlotte took a swing at making it a game in the fourth, getting as close as four points in the final minutes, but the Pirates—entering the game with a program-record 73.2 clip from the foul line—are hard to shake of a lead. ECU shot 7-10 from the stripe in the final quarter, including a pair by Taylor Barner to put the game on ice with 15 seconds remaining.
The Pirates led by as many as 14 points in the fourth, but their effort was through team defense and opportunistic scoring, not any fantastical heroics on the offensive end. The team finished with 26 points off of 28 turnovers forced and 15 steals.
It was a game in which no player was flashy, but each played their role. Kennedy Fauntleroy went for 10 points, six assists and a trio of rebounds and steals while only turning the ball over once. Zaniah Zellous hauled in a team-high six boards. Bobbi Smith notched three steals.
Now, some housekeeping:
- The win makes the senior class of Jayla Hearp and Bobbi Smith tied for the ECU record for wins by a four-year class, becoming just the second senior class to win 80 games in four years.
- 13 conference wins is a program record, regardless of conference.
- 21 wins is the second most in a regular season in program history and the third highest total in program history overall.
- The win, along with losses by Tulsa and South Florida, assures ECU the two seed in the American Conference Tournament. It is just the eighth time in program history that the team has finished second-or-higher in a conference and the first time since 2012-13.
- Head coach Kim McNeill has tied the late legend Catherine Bolton for the third most career wins in program history with 108.
Up Next
The Pirates have their final bye for the midweek games this week before concluding the regular season at Tulsa next Saturday for a 3 p.m. ET contest.