ECU basketball player sets single-season blocking record
Published 1:44 pm Thursday, March 6, 2014
ECU Athletic Media Relations
NORFOLK, Va. – Redshirt junior post Ondrea Shaw set a new East Carolina single-season record with a total of 98 blocks after posting six in the Pirates’ 87-78 loss at Old Dominion on Wednesday night. With the loss, the Pirates fall to 22-7 overall (10-6 C-USA), while the Monarchs improve to 16-14 on the year (9-7 C-USA).
Shaw finished the night with six blocks, five rebounds and two steals. Her season total of 98 blocks broke the previous record of 95 which was set by former Pirate Marcia Girven which was set during the 1977-78 season. Girven followed that year with another 95 block year in 1978-79.
The Pirates had five double-figure scorers in Abria Trice (17 points), Shae Nelson (17 points), Jada Payne (16 points), Kristine Mial (10 points) and J’Kyra Brown (10 points). Payne also led the Pirates in rebounding with six boards in the loss.
The Monarchs were led offensively by Shae Kelley as she poured in a game-best 32 points while adding eight rebounds and one steal. Tiffany Minor led the squad with a game-high 13 rebounds to go along with nine points, four assists, one block and one steal.
East Carolina was out-shot 36.5-percent to Old Dominion’s 43.5-percent shooting. Additionally, the Monarchs out-rebounded the Pirates, 53-41. ECU, however, held the edge in assists, 18-17, and steals, 7-5.
“Old Dominion is a hot team right now,” Head Coach Heather Macy said. “We did a poor job on transitioning and rebounding. We haven’t been playing our best basketball, but when the conference tournament comes around, we’ll be ready.”
Old Dominion took an early lead on an opening layup by Becca Allison and never looked back. The Monarchs never trailed throughout the game as they led by as many as 10 points on two occasions in the first half. Old Dominion’s defense was stout as it held the Pirates to just 32.3-percent shooting from the field and limited ECU to a mere 22.2-percent from beyond the arc. The Monarchs finished the first half shooting 38.7-percent from the field and 50-percent from three-point range. Old Dominion also held the edge in rebounds with 25 to the Pirates’ 19. The Monarchs led the Pirates at halftime, 34-27.
In the second half, ODU continued to hold the Pirates at bay as the Monarchs shot 43.4-percent in the final 20 minutes of action and limited ECU to just 27.8-percent shooting from three-point range in the frame. Old Dominion led by as many as 17 points (68-51) in the game and went on to defeat East Carolina by a score of 87-78.
East Carolina will find out its seeding in the 2014 Conference USA Tournament on Friday, March 7. The C-USA Tournament begins Tuesday, March 11, in El Paso, Texas.