By Staff
Greensboro Information
GREENSBORO — East Carolina used a 14-4 run to begin the game and a 14-2 streak midway through the second half after UNC Greensboro cut it to one as the Pirates went on for an 82-61 victory in men’s basketball action Saturday afternoon in the Greensboro Coliseum.
The Spartans (1-4), who were held to a season-low 31.7% shooting, were led by Kendal Toney’s 19 points. It was the highest scoring output for the senior since a 24-point effort against USC Upstate on Nov. 24, 2007. Freshmen Kyle Randall and Korey Van Dussen each added 13 points for the Spartans.
The Pirates (3-4) were led by a quartet of players in double figures. Darrius Morrow had a game-high 22 points for the visiting squad, while Brock Young and Jamar Abrams each added 15. Chad Wynn rounded out the Pirates in double figures with 10 points.
Leading 37-23 at the break, it appeared as if the Pirates might have things in hand. However, the Spartans used a 17-6 run to open the second half and pull within 43-40. A three-pointer by Randall moved UNCG within one at 46-45 with 13 minutes to play. The Pirates responded with a three-pointer from Young, however, that sparked a 14-2 run to extend the lead to double digits again, 60-47.
The Spartans were never able to recover as they were only able to narrow the Pirate lead to 11 points the rest of the way.
UNCG began the game missing its first seven shots from the field and East Carolina opened took a 14-4 lead to begin the game. The Pirates went on to lead by 14 at the half after UNCG failed to score over the final 4:18 of the first half. The Spartans shot just 23.5 percent from the field in the opening half (8-for-34).
The Pirates also held Mikko Koivisto scoreless for the first time at home since his freshman season against Furman on Jan. 27, 2007. Koivisto lost his streak of 15 consecutive games with at least one three-pointer.
East Carolina shot 58.2 percent from the floor, which was a season-high. The Pirates also had a commanding 44-16 edge in points in the paint for the game. Morrow was a big part of that, going 9-for-11 from the floor and also grabbing nine rebounds.
The Pirates play at Charlotte on Wednesday, before playing host to Coker on Saturday.
EAST CAROLINA 82, UNCG 61
EAST CAROLINA (3-4)
Darrius Morrow 9-11 4-7 22; Jamar Abrams 5-10 1-2 15; Brock Young 5-9 3-3 15; Chad Wynn 5-8 0-0 10; Jontae Sherrod 4-8 1-2 10; Daquan Joyner 3-3 2-2 8; Chris Turner 1-4 0-0 2; Evan Salzano 0-0 0-0 0; Wakefield Ellison 0-0 0-0 0; Erin Straughn 0-1 0-0 0; Corvonn Gaines 0-1 0-0 0; Greyson Sargent 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 32-55 11-16 82.
UNCG (1-4)
Kendall Toney 6-11 3-3 19; Korey Van Dussen 4-8 5-5 13; Kyle Randall 6-16 0-0 13; Brandon Evans 2-7 1-2 5; Brian Cole 1-3 1-2 3; Ben Stywall 0-7 3-4 3; Elhanan Bone 1-2 0-0 2; Pete Brown 0-3 2-2 2; Darrius Sellers 0-0 1-2 1; Deangelo Jackson 0-0 0-0 0; Mike Hardiman 0-0 0-0 0; Montel Smith 0-2 0-0 0; Mikko Koivisto 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 20-63 16-20 61.
Halftime: East Carolina 37-23. 3-point goals–East Carolina 7-19 (Jamar Abrams 4-8; Brock Young 2-3; Jontae Sherrod 1-4; Chris Turner 0-2; Erin Straughn 0-1; Corvonn Gaines 0-1), UNCG 5-21 (Kendall Toney 4-9; Kyle Randall 1-3; Brandon Evans 0-3; Montel Smith 0-1; Mikko Koivisto 0-4; Korey Van Dussen 0-1). Fouled out—East Carolina-None, UNCG-None. Rebounds–East Carolina 40 (Darrius Morrow 9), UNCG 30 (Brandon Evans 5; Ben Stywall 5). Assists–East Carolina 16 (Brock Young 7), UNCG 10 (Korey Van Dussen 5). Total fouls–East Carolina 16, UNCG 15. Technical fouls–East Carolina-None, UNCG-None. A-2231