By By BRIAN HAINES, Sports Writer
GREENVILLE — After the East Carolina football team won its first ever Conference USA title earlier in the afternoon with a 27-24 win over Tulsa, it seemed like nothing could dampen the spirit that resinated throughout Greenville and Minges Coliseum Saturday - not even what might have been the worst half of basketball played all season by the Pirates’ hoops team.
For the first 20 minutes against the Div. II Limestone Saints East Carolina failed to show the hustle and passion that allowed it to win its last three games in a row, and it wasn’t until midway through the second half that the Pirates were finally able to run away from Limestone and capture a 69-43 victory.
The Pirates (7-1), which were without center Chad Wynn who sat out with an eye infection, got out-rebounded in the first half 19-17 despite the fact that Limestone started two guards that stood at 5-feet, 10-inches tall, and had played a center that was a mere 6-5.
The Pirates were sloppy on both ends of the court, and failed to get any kind of dribble penetration against the Saints’ collapsing 2-3 zone, shooting an abysmal 2-13 from downtown in the first 20 minutes.
Though East Carolina held a 33-25 lead at the break, the Pirates knew they needed a much better effort in the second half.
That they did. The Pirates tightened up on both ends of the court and ripped off a 32-10 run that spanned over 13 minutes and was highlighted when Sam Hinnant, Jamar Abrams, Jontae Sherrod and Legan nailed four straight threes to expand their lead to 65-35.
The Pirates regained their touch from the outside and shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the second half.
Legan notched a game-high 14 points, while Morrow, who made his first-ever start for ECU playing for Wynn, racked up a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. Hinnant, who did a nice job playing at the power forward position for a while, netted 11 points and pulled down eight boards. Abrams also scored in double figures with 11 points.
Michael Barret paced the Carolina Conference Saints (2-3) with 11 points.
The Pirates will be back in action at home on Dec. 13 when they host UNC-Greensboro.
EAST CAROLINA 69, LIMESTONE 43
LIMESTONE (2-3)
Evans 2-6 0-0 6, Hudson 2-3 0-0 4, Clark 3-12 0-0 8, Grier 3-6 2-3 9, Creal 1-5 0-0 2, Thurmond 0-0 0-0 0, Long 1-4 0-0 2, Atkinson 0-0 1-2 1, Barrett 4-13 3-4 11, Hughes 0-0 0-0 0, Fleming 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 16-49 6-9 43.
EAST CAROLINA (7-1)
Morrow 4-6 4-7 12, Abrams 4-6 2-3 11, Legan 5-10 0-0 14, Hinnant 4-12 1-2 11, Young 3-5 1-1 7, Kupets 0-0 0-1 0, Turner 3-8 2-2 9, Sherrod 2-5 0-0 5, Sargent 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-53 10-16 69.
Halftime—East Carolina 33-25. 3-Point Goals—Limestone 5-21 (Evans 2-5, Clark 2-6, Grier 1-2, Creal 0-2, Long 0-2, Barrett 0-4), East Carolina 9-27 (Legan 4-8, Hinnant 2-7, Abrams 1-2, Turner 1-3, Sherrod 1-4, Sargent 0-1, Young 0-2). Fouled Out—None. Rebounds—Limestone 32 (Hudson 9), East Carolina 35 (Morrow 10). Assists—Limestone 9 (Barrett, Long 3), East Carolina 18 (Young 6). Total Fouls—Limestone 18, East Carolina 11. A—5,694. A—5,694.