Pirates Set Sail for League Showdown in Tulsa This Sunday!

GREENVILLE, N.C. – The East Carolina women’s basketball squad is prepared to commence American Athletic Conference competition at Tulsa at 3 p.m. ET on Sunday. The matchup will be streamed on ESPN+.
 
Last Time Out
The Pirates defeated UNCW to conclude a five-game winning streak heading into the holiday recess. Amiya Joyner scored 30 points and grabbed 16 rebounds while Jayla Hearp added 16 points during the game. This marked Joyner’s second outing of 30 points and 15 rebounds this season as she continues her impressive streak. Despite losing a first-half advantage and trailing at halftime, they delivered a commanding second half to turn a tight contest into a comfortable victory. 

Scouting Tulsa

The Golden Hurricane enters the matchup with a 6-6 record after suffering a defeat in a neutral-site game against No. 18 Tennessee last time out. Throughout the season, it has been a rollercoaster ride with a four-game losing streak early in the season, followed by a four-game winning stretch leading up to the Tennessee game. As anticipated, Delanie Crawford has led the team with an average of 17.3 points and 5.6 rebounds per game. 

Series History

The Pirates and Golden Hurricane have faced off 30 times since 1986, with Tulsa holding a 16-14 advantage. Nonetheless, East Carolina is on a 2-0 streak against them heading into this contest, including an exciting matchup in the AAC Tournament last year, where they won 75-71, featuring Danae McNeal scoring 29 points and making 10 steals as the Pirates surprised the top-seeded Golden Hurricane. 

Weekly Recognition

Amiya Joyner received an AAC weekly Honorable Mention for her performance of 30 points and 16 rebounds against UNCW. 

Historic Efforts

That UNCW game was notably Joyner’s second 30/15 performance of the season. Previously, ECU had not recorded a single such game since Courtney Willis had 40 and 21 on Feb. 13, 2004, in a quadruple overtime loss to TCU, and none in regulation since Jennifer Jackson had 31 and 17 on Feb. 2, 2003. In total, during the 2023-24 season, there were only two instances of such performances in the American Athletic Conference (Tiara Young and Elyssa Coleman).