Ben Byrum, Producer 94.3 The Game
The Pirates are now 7-1 in their all-time series against (3-7) NC A&T after defeating the Aggies 82-71 in Minges Coliseum to an impressive show out of over 1,000 students in attendance. Four Pirates were in double-figures led by senior forward, Vance Jackson, who scored 23 points on 53% shooting (8-15 FG) along with 8 rebounds and two assists. Other ECU players scoring double digits include senior JJ Miles (20 PTS), sophomore Tristen Newton (14 PTS) and junior Tremont Robinson-White (11 PTS).
AGGIES GIVE THE PIRATES TROUBLE IN THE FIRST HALF
ECU didn’t look perfect early on, as NC A&T gave the Pirate defense some trouble. The Aggies were able to capitalize on second chance shots thanks to a whopping 11 total offensive rebounds by A&T and balanced, well-executed scoring by their starters. It was evident that Vance Jackson would be the standout for the Pirates at the half, as he already notched 13 PTS on 63% shooting (5-8 FG) along with being ECU’s best presence in the paint, leading the team in total rebounds with 4 along with scoring most of his points from turn-around jumpers down low.
One of the leaders of this ECU squad in sophomore forward Brandon Suggs seemingly landed on a players foot early on and would sit out the rest of the game. In postgame, when asked about him sitting out and what’s Suggs current status, Pirate basketball head coach Joe Dooley said,
“He tweaked it (ankle) yesterday and retweaked it today , I guess he stepped on somebody’s foot in the first half and he couldn’t go, so we sat him out second half.”
Sophomore guard Tristen Newton adopted more of a facilitator role in the first half and this was clear on the stat sheet, dishing out seven assists by halftime and only grabbing one bucket out of his four shots, a three pointer from deep. Pirate head basketball coach, Joe Dooley has made it clear that he wants to see Newton play more like a true point guard, believing that this team has a lot of depth and experience and that Newton doesn’t have to carry the majority of the scoring workload night in and night out.
The Pirates were able to thrive on defense in the first half, allowing the Aggies to shoot only 37% (13-35 FG) from the field, limiting them to only 25% shooting from deep (3-12) and winning the turnover battle against A&T who had 10. This allowed the Pirates to go on their best scoring run of the game with 10 at 4:51 in the first half and make it a 37-30 ECU lead at the halftime buzzer.
A MATURE PIRATE SQUAD SURVIVES A ROLLERCOASTER SECOND HALF
It was evident that the Aggies made some adjustments in the locker room at halftime as they started to settle in a little bit more, showcasing great passing ability and team chemistry with 12 assists as unit in the second half as well as shooting a combined 47% (15-32) and 42% from the perimeter (5-12 3PT FG). Four Aggies found themselves scoring in double figures in junior guard Demetric Horton (15 PTS) , Farmville Central product and senior guard Tyler Maye (12 PTS), senior guard David Beatty (12 PTS) and sophomore forward Marcus Watson.
Despite seeing a clearly improved A&T squad coming from the half, the Pirates weren’t rattled and their veteran players thrived and erupted for an 18 point lead with 1:19 left, with guys like Tristen Newton and JJ Miles scoring the majority of their total points and bouncing back from a rocky start to the ballgame. The Pirates were in prime position to cruise to victory a remain undefeated in Minges UNTIL…
With a 1:19 left in the ballgame, Dooley called a timeout and used this as an opportunity to give a few walk-ons and freshmen such as Tay Mosher, Javon Small, Brenden Kelly and Alexis Reyes to get some playing time but the moment might’ve been too early and too bright for these young guns. Sitting with a comfortable 81-63 lead, this rattled lineup would turn the ball over three times and allow the Aggies to have their best scoring run of the game, notching 8 points and cutting the deficit to only ten (81-71) with 21 seconds left in the ballgame. The aggressiveness and intensity from A&T in that stretch might’ve been a bit much, as Mosher could visibly be seen bleeding from the lip, which may explain why they looked a little off. It was too little, too late for A&T though, as there was not enough time left to continue the run and capitalize and the Pirate starters would promptly come back and close out this affair, winning 82-71.
WHAT WAS SAID
OTHER NEWS AND NOTES
- As it stands no word on the status of Brandon Suggs after suffering from what appears to be an ankle injury, Dooley believes he will be day to day.
- Junior center Ludgy Debaut missed the game due to a personal family matter, Dooley expects him to be back practicing Thursday.
- An estimated one thousand ECU students were in attendance for the Pirates matchup against NC A&T, the highest student attendance of the season so far.
- ECU has now improved to 8-2 on the season, they currently sit in second place in the AAC behind the likes of Houston who are 8-1.
WHAT’S NEXT
The Pirates return to action Friday, December 17th as they’ll battle the 4-3 Liberty Flames in Charlotte, NC at the Spectrum Center for the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Shootout at 1:30 ET. You can hear live play by play coverage for that matchup on 94.3 The Game, The Flagship Station of the ECU Pirates or 107.9 WNCT. You can watch the game on ESPN+ as our very own Patrick Johnson will be on the call along with veteran ECU broadcaster Si Seymour.