East Carolina seeks seventh win against Division II Limestone

The Pirates are 4-1 at Williams Arena-Minges Coliseum this season

Following back-to-back road wins at Winthrop and UNCW, East Carolina returns home on Saturday night when it will play host to the Division II Limestone Saints. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.

After gutting out a win in their road opener at Winthrop, the Pirates improved to 6-1 on Wednesday night with a convincing 99-85 win at in-state rival UNC-Wilmington. ECU’s lead grew to as much as 21 points in the second half. The victory was ECU’s first in Trask Coliseum since January of 1991.

The game marked the third time this season that the Pirates have eclipsed the 90-point plateau. They also scored 90 in wins against VCU (93-90, OT) and St. Andrews (94-58). ECU knocked down 14 trifectas in the game, as they exhibited excellent ball movement around the perimeter and inside out. Six players reached double figures in the game for the Pirates.

The difference in the game with UNCW came on the defensive end, though. After allowing 48 first half points, the Pirates continued to present the Seahawks with a variety of looks and held them to 37 points after the break.

These road wins were particularly impressive given the youth of the team and the fact that it was playing without sophomore forward DaQuan Joyner. Joyner was averaging seven points and 3.4 rebounds before being forced to sit due to a fractured bone in his foot. Despite missing the last two games, he is also second on the team with six blocks.

A big positive—perhaps the biggest positive against the Seahawks—was the production of Jamar Abrams. Abrams, who has started every contest, went into the game averaging only six points per game; however, against UNCW he tied his career-high, as he scored 18 points in 32 minutes of action. He was 7-of-13 from the floor and knocked down two of his six three-point attempts.

Senior shooting guard James Legan suffered one of his worst games as a Pirate versus Winthrop. He responded with his best game of the year against UNCW. Legan tallied 26 points on the strength of his 8-of-13 performance from behind the arc. He also pulled down eight rebounds and dished out four assists in 34 minutes of play.

Sam Hinnant, who leads the team with his 18.3 points per game average, shot the ball poorly against the Seahawks, but continued to find other ways to contribute. He finished with 13 points, five rebounds and six assists in a team-high 38 minutes.

The Pirates possess the nation’s assist leader in sophomore point guard Brock Young. Young had 12 helpers against UNCW—including nine in the first half. He also has ten points to post his second double double of the season. For the year, the Raleigh-native is averaging 9.9 points and 8.4 assists.

ECU’s big men, Darrius Morrow and Chad Wynn, both continued to play well. Wynn was a perfect five-of-five and finished with ten points. Meanwhile, Morrow was a rebound shy of his third double-double in seven games as a Pirate. He concluded his night with 16 points and nine boards in 24 minutes.

Limestone will be making its third trip to Greenville in the last three seasons. ECU defeated the Saints, 80-54, in 2006-07 when they were led by current second year Pirate assistant coach Larry Epperly. Last season, the Pirates opened the season with a 78-60 victory over then first-year coach Brandon Scott. The match-up will be ECU’s third contest against a Conference Carolinas foe this season. The Pirates opened their season with a 71-56 win over Coker before knocking off St. Andrews, 94-58, in game two.

The Saints (2-2, 1-1) opened their season with road wins at North Greenville (69-52) and Coker (81-74). Since, they have lost consecutive games to Newberry (66-40) and Anderson (79-62). Second-year coach Brandon Scott played for Limestone from 1995 to 1999.

Limestone averages 63 points per game and shoots only 39.1 percent from the floor. Conversely, they give up 68 points per contest while allowing opponents to hit over 46 percent of their shots.

The Saints’ starting line-up has featured eight different players. Guards Shawn Creal and Bobby Grier are the only players who have started all four games. Grier, a 5’10” sophomore point guard averages 7.8 points and four assists.

5’10” freshman Stewart Clark, who scored 27 points in the win over Coker, leads the team with 15.3 points per game. He has knocked down a team-high ten three-pointers (in 26 attempts).

Limestone’s top post player Anthony Middleton suffered an injury in the first half of the loss to Newberry and missed the Anderson game. Middleton, a 6’5 junior, was averaging 14.7 points and 6.3 rebounds through three games. He also leads the team with five blocked shots.

Freshman guard Michael Barrett is the third Saint averaging in double figures. Barrett, who scored 16 the last time out, averages ten points per game and his 16 free throw attempts lead the team.

Final East Carolina vs Limestone Analysis & Prediction

Expect East Carolina to dominate Limestone like it did St. Andrews. The Pirates possess too much talent, size and athleticism for the short-handed Saints, who may be playing without second-leading scorer and top frontcourt player Anthony Middleton.

ECU will dominate the boards and the Pirates’ frontcourt of Chad Wynn and Darrius will almost surely reach double figures again. Morrow will likely post his third double double of his Pirate career. The backcourt will be solid as always with Young, Legan and Hinnant all scoring in double figures.

The easy win should allow the Pirates to continue to develop their short bench. Look for back-up point guard Chris Kupets to receive some much-needed minutes, as he prepares to play a more significant role as his freshman year progresses. Sam Hinnant and Jontae Sherrod have handled the point when Young has been out of the game thus far.

The Pirates will improve to 7-1 as they head into their week off. They will return to action on Saturday, December 13 th when UNC-Greensboro visits Minges.

East Carolina 95 - Limestone 56