Pirates hold off Florida Atlantic for 20th win of season, 74-61

Anzhané Hutton notched her third double-double of the year to help the ECU women’s basketball team hold of the Florida Atlantic Owls, 74-61, on Tuesday evening in Minges Coliseum.

The victory gave ECU the eighth 20-win regular season in program history and tied the program record with 12 conference victories.

The Pirates (20-7, 12-2 American) got out to a quick start in the first quarter, utilizing their size to dominate in the post on their way to an early double-figure lead. Hutton was unguardable in the first quarter with seven points, aided by the point guard play by Kennedy Fauntleroy who dished out four assists in the period to go with her five points.

Leading by eight going into the second, ECU opened up the lead even more with a more well-rounded attack, seven players scoring in the quarter on the way to a 23-11 margin and a 20-point halftime lead. Taylor Barner capped the half with a corner triple to make it 42-22 at the break.

Florida Atlantic (12-14, 6-8 American) came out of the half stronger, scoring the first five points of the third quarter and drawing an ECU timeout—and a full five-player line change. The substitutions helped stem the tide, but the Owls still controlled the quarter. Though, the Pirates did not help themselves at times, shooting just 6-22 in the period and missing their final 10 attempts from the field.

Bobbi Smith, who gave ECU good minutes in the first half, led the team in scoring in the third with four points. She finished the game with a season-high eight points.

Meanwhile, Florida Atlantic scored 20 points in the third, paced by Grace Carstensen and Erin Rodgers who had five apiece. Jess Moors had five assists on the team’s six made field goals in the frame.

Things continued to be a slog for the Pirates in the fourth quarter. Florida Atlantic managed to get the margin into single digits at 61-52 at the 3:45 mark on a layup by Rodgers. A pair of free throws by Fauntleroy and an and-one finish by Keanna Rembert helped ECU go back up by as many as 13, but an Owls corner three by Madi Gewirtz with 1:49 remaining helped the Owls get the margin back down to eight.

The Pirates got the decisive play with under a minute left when Jayla Hearp took a flagrant foul and finished the bucket anyway to push the margin back into double figures. Though she missed both of the foul shots, Hutton sank both of hers on the ensuring desperation foul by the Owls.

The Owls finished the contest making seven of their final nine shots to make the final line respectable.

For the day, Hutton led ECU with a 17-point, 11-rebound double-double. Fauntleroy posted 13 and Hearp added 10. For the Owls, Erin Rodgers notched a double-double of her own with 16 points and 11 rebounds. The double-double for Hutton is her third of the season and the 14th of her career.

Defensively, the Pirates matched their season high, set just Saturday, with 15 steals while forcing 29 turnovers and scoring 27 points off of turnovers. More importantly, it was a win, setting up as significant a regular season game as ECU has played in the last 30 years on Saturday afternoon.

Up Next
Rice comes to town with their current 17-game win streak (pending tonight’s result against South Florida) and receiving votes in the USA TODAY Coaches Poll. The game is set for 1 p.m. in Minges Coliseum.