Pirates meet Minutemen

East Carolina will host UMASS on Tuesday night

After falling to Atlantic 10 and in-state rival Charlotte on Saturday, East Carolina will attempt to snap a two-game skid tonight when it welcomes UMASS to Williams Arena-Minges Coliseum.

The Pirates (4-3), who are just 1-3 against Division I competition, are shooting just 32.5 percent over their last two games against ODU and Charlotte. They are at 42.6 for the year--which includes a 33.1 mark from beyond the arc.

ECU point guard Miguel Paul, who leads the team with his 17.0 point per game mark, combined to go just 9-of-38 in those games. Paul also produces nearly six assists and just over two steals per contest--marks that top the team in those categories.

While the team as a whole has struggled, wing Shamarr Bowden has stepped up to score 27 points and deliver a 7-of-13 effort from three-point range the last two games.

Darrius Morrow, who was shut out by Charlotte, is the only other Pirate averaging in double figures. Morrow, who pulled down eight rebounds in the loss to the 49ers, averages 12.7 points.

Sophomore Rob Sampson leads ECU on the glass, as he grabs 7.0 per contest. However, his lack of scoring production--which can be attributed to a thumb injury suffered against Chowan three games ago--has hurt.

Defensively, the Pirates have limited the opposition to 59.9 points and 39.6 percent shooting. However, there is plenty of room for improvement as the 50-point second-half effort by Charlotte revealed.

UMASS (6-3) started the season with four straight wins, but has proceeded to drop three of five. The Minutemen come to town after suffering an eight-point loss at Miami (FL) on Saturday. Their only other road contest was an 82-46 blowout of Boston College.

When Derek Kellogg’s club has won, it has won convincingly as each of its six wins have been by at least 16 points. However, the Minutemen did drop two of three during their trip to the Bahamas for the Battle 4 Atlantis. They fell 73-53 to No. 22 Florida State in their opener before bouncing back with an 89-75 victory over Pac-12 foe Utah. UMASS’ final game in the islands was an 85-61 setback to College of Charleston.

Sophomore guard Chaz Williams, a Hofstra transfer, is the only UMASS player to score in double figures at 14.8 per game. The 5’9” Williams is shooting a team-best 43.2 percent from three while also dishing out over six assists per game. He also leads the team in steals (25) and free throw shooting (80.6%).

While Williams is the only player in double figures, there are six Minutemen scoring anywhere from 7.3 to 8.6 per game. That group is led by post players Sampson Carter (6’8”, 220) and Terrell Vinson (6‘7“, 220), who each average 8.6. Vinson is second on the team with 5.6 rebounds.

Cady Lalanne has come off the bench to average 6.6 points and a team-best 6.2 boards.

Final Analysis and Prediction

The Pirates are just 1-3 against Division I competition and will be facing what could be their toughest test to date against UMASS. The Minutemen go at least ten deep and their line-up features the difficult combination of length and quickness.

For East Carolina to pull the upset and carry some momentum into its 10-day layoff for exams, it will need to dictate the tempo. The Pirates, who tend to live and die by the three, must get some production from post veteran Darrius Morrow. However, the ECU backcourt must improve its perimeter shooting so the defense can’t sag and more easily deny Morrow.

Both teams have struggled shooting the basketball, as each sits at just over 40 percent on the season. However, the Minutemen have shown a greater ability to score and have done so against a much more challenging schedule to date. Expect their quickness and length to cause ECU some problems and for the Minutemen to collect the road win.

UMASS 79 East Carolina 67