East Carolina looks to earn first league win against Tulsa

Pirates meet Golden Hurricane on Saturday at 1 p.m.

After taking a five-game win streak into conference play, East Carolina has suffered losses in its first two league games.

The Pirates (9-6, 0-2), who were on the short end of an 81-63 decision to UCF on Saturday, have struggled to rebound the basketball thus allowing numerous second (and third, and fourth.....) chances to the opposition. After getting outrebounded, 35-25, at Southern Miss, the Golden Knights dominated the Pirates on the glass, 46-29.

ECU failed to eclipse the 40-percent plateau for the first time in seven games, as it shot just 36.7 (22-of-60) against the Knights. Meanwhile, the usually sound Pirate defense allowed an opponent to top 50 percent for the first time this season, as UCF shot 52.2 for the game.

Miguel Paul, who has scored in double figures in all but one game, leads the Pirate attack with his 16.2 points per game mark. He tops the team with 5.7 assists per contest while boasting an impressive assist-to-turnover ratio of 2.46 to 1. The ECU point guard, who has made a team-high 34 three's while shooting 37 percent from beyond the arc, also leads the team in steals (25).

Darrius Morrow and Maurice Kemp also produce in double figures for Jeff Lebo's club. Since being shut out by Charlotte in early December, the senior Morrow has managed to reach double figures in eight straight games. He averages 13.6 points and 6.1 rebounds. Kemp, who has also scored in double figures in eight consecutive contests, produces 10.9 points and a team-high 7.0 boards.

Shamarr Bowden, who has converted a team-high 40.3 percent (31-of-77) of his three-pointers, had scored in double figures in six of seven games. However, the junior-college transfer has tallied just ten points in the last three games.

Tulsa (8-9, 1-2) comes to town after collecting a 59-48 win over UTEP on Wednesday night. The Golden Hurricane dropped their first two league games by a combined three points. After suffering a 70-69 overtime loss at Houston in the opener, Tulsa returned home where it fell to SMU, 57-55.

Sophomore Jordan Clarkson, who averages a team-high nearly 2.5 assists, scores 15 points per game to pace the Golden Hurricane. Clarkson has, however, committed more turnovers than assists.

Scottie Haralson, a 6'4" junior guard, is the only other Tulsa player producing in double figures. Haralson, who averages 10.7 points, has knocked down a team-high 50 three-pointers while shooting over 40-percent from deep.

Steven Idlet (6'11") and Kodi Mazuka (6'11 1/2") highlight a very big front line for Doug Wojcik's club. Idlet, a senior, averages 9.7 points and 5.4 rebounds. Meanwhile, Mazuka yields 8.1 points and a team-high 7.0 rebounds. The sophomore has also swatted a team-high 28 shots.

Final Prediction and Analysis
While this isn't a must-win, East Carolina really needs to earn its first league victory before embarking on a two-game road trip to Texas next week that will feature games at UTEP and Houston. With their recent rebounding woes, expect East Carolina to experience some struggles with Tulsa. The Golden Hurricane outrebounds its opponents by nearly seven boards per contest. As against Southern Miss, the Pirates may very well need to shoot the ball well in order to win. After his recent slump, Shamarr Bowden will shine and help ECU squeak past a Tulsa team that is better than its mark of 8-9 might suggest.

East Carolina 65 Tulsa 60