The ECU men’s basketball team picked up a win on Sunday during Senior Day, beating Memphis, 84-68.
Check out Pirate Radio
Website | Facebook | X (formerly Twitter) | Instagram | YouTube | Apple Podcasts | Spotify
=====
Photo credit: (ECU Sports Information)
Jordan Riley scored a game-high 31 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds as East Carolina cruised past Memphis, 84-68, on Sunday afternoon inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.
Corey Caulker notched his first double-double of the year with 16 points and 11 assists while Eli DeLaurier added 11 points for the Pirates (11-18, 6-10 American) who defeated Memphis for the first time since the 2021-22 season. Luke Davis tied his season-high for points in game with eight.
Julius Thedford led Memphis (12-17, 7-9 American) with 16 points.
Penny Hardaway after Memphis’ road loss to ECU on his response to fan criticism in what’s become one of the worst seasons in Tigers history, thoughts on his future + more:
“Just know I’m always gonna fight, (no matter) whatever’s being said. … It’s easy to kick me — I’ve been… pic.twitter.com/bqP6Cb981L
— Parth Upadhyaya (@pupadhyaya_) March 1, 2026
Before the game, the Pirates recognized their four seniors in Riley, Davis, Giovanni Emejuru and Demitri Gardner.
Memphis jumped out to an early 5-0 lead but that would be the largest lead the Tigers would have all day as ECU countered with a 6-2 spurt to go in front 9-7 with 15:47 left in the first half. After both teams traded the lead for the next 1:30, the Pirates went in front for good on Reid Cason’s layup that started a 21-7 run to push ECU’s advantage to 38-23 with six minutes before halftime.
The Pirates maintained control down the stretch of the first half and went into the locker room ahead 44-30.
Memphis got within seven points early in the second half but two highlight reel dunks from Riley got the crowd to its feet and turned the momentum back to the Pirates as the home team picked up the Senior Day victory.
Up Next
East Carolina hosts Tulsa on Thursday in its home finale at 7 p.m. on ESPN2/U.