The dream of an NCAA appearance likely came to an end for the ECU women’s basketball team after a loss to UTSA in Friday’s American Conference semifinals.
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Photo credit: (American Conference)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala – The second-seeded East Carolina basketball team saw their American Conference Tournament experience end after just one game with a 54-44 semifinal loss to six seed UTSA on Friday evening.
The Pirates (22-10, 14-4 American) were led by Kennedy Fauntleroy’s 12 points, but struggled mightily to score the ball, finishing with just a 25.4 percent (17-67) clip from the field on the day. Conversely, UTSA (17-15, 9-9 American) was customarily dominant on the glass to the tune of a 47-33 final margin on the boards.
The game was a close one until the final minutes. It was tied at 24 at the halftime break, and the Pirates actually led by a point going into the final quarter.
It looked for a while like it might be ECU’s day after all, using a 10-0 run late in the first half to turn a six-point deficit into a narrow lead, but saw it dwindle into the tied result after 20 minutes played. Again, in the fourth, the Pirates had their chances.
Going up by two points at 39-37 with under seven minutes left, the team looked poised to seize the opportunity and move forward for victory. Instead, the Roadrunners scored the game’s next seven points, including a deep Ereauna Hardaway three to beat the shot clock buzzer with 4:16 remaining in the ballgame.
A Keanna Rembert triple gave the Pirates life, and they did give themselves a chance, getting within three on a Fauntleroy score with just over a minute left. However, in their full court pressure on the ensuing defensive possession, ECU was unable to corral a loose ball before UTSA eventually scored a dagger of a basket with Cheyenne Rowe converting to make it a five-point game with just 42 seconds remaining.
From there, the Pirates couldn’t buy a bucket, being held scoreless for the final 75 seconds of game time and allowing the Roadrunners to end the game on a 7-0 run.
As for that UTSA group, they were led by 15 points from Hawdaway, 11 points from Rowe and another 10 from Idara Udo. Though the Pirates were able to force their foe into 18 turnovers, it was not enough—and not more than UTSA’s season average—as the Pirates struggles offensively caused their defensive efforts to be less of an advantage than desire.
So instead, UTSA moves on to face the top-seeded Rice Owls for the American title Saturday night, and the Pirates will be forced to wait and see if they have earned a WBIT bid.