The East Carolina University women’s basketball team (14-10, 7-6 American Athletic Conference) suffered a competitive loss to the University of Memphis (8-15, 5-8 AAC) on Feb. 17 at Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum, 72-70.
Both teams were coming off a loss going into the game. ECU lost to Rice University (15-10, 9-5 AAC) 57-75, while Memphis lost to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (14-11, 7-6 AAC) 56-65.
The game was a competitive back-and-forth game similar to their first meeting on Jan. 6, despite the Pirates having injured players. Sophomore forward Amiya Joyner and graduate student Guard Danae McNeal were massive contributors to the team's early success.
The Pirates were up in the first quarter, but the Tigers would outscore ECU in the second despite the slow start. The half would end with McNeal scoring a buzzer-beater, improving the Pirate's lead to 33-28
The third quarter was similar to the first, with the Pirates outscoring Memphis by seven points. They also managed to end the third quarter with a 12-point lead, but the Tigers had other plans.
Memphis wasted no time at the start of the fourth quarter and tied the game within the first three minutes. Both teams would be trading shots till the last seconds of the game. The Tiger’s senior forward, Asasia Smith, would tie and score with nine seconds left, winning the game for Memphis.
Despite the loss, Joyner and McNeal both would still perform well. Joyner would end the game with another double-double. Some of her stats include 15 points, two blocks, two steals, six assists, and 20 rebounds. McNeal would lead the team in scoring with 28 points and four rebounds.
Freshman guard Karina Gordan and sophomore guard Bobbi Smith would also show up for the Pirates, scoring nine and eight points, respectively. Gordon would also end the game with five assists.
The Pirate's next match-up is another home game against the University of South Florida (15-11, 7-6 AAC) on Feb. 21. The game will be streamed on ESPN+, with the game starting at 6 p.m.
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