Spring Break
New-look Pirates off to hot start
Kellen Holtzman
Issue date: 11/18/08 Section: Sports
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ECU didn't disappoint in its double-dip opening weekend, scoring a 71-56 win over Coker on Friday before throttling St. Andrews, 94-58, on Sunday afternoon.
The Pirates struggled at times in both matchups, but coach Mack McCarthy was pleased with the improvement his team made from Friday to Sunday.
"We made some progress between Friday night and tonight, mostly in just how we approached the game mentally," said McCarthy following Sunday's game. "We've got a lot of things we have to do better, but we're clearly sharing the basketball and trying hard. We also have a lot more offensive weapons than we've had in the past."
Those weapons were on full display against St. Andrews, as four ECU players scored in double-figures, including sharpshooter James Legan, who led the team with 20 points. Legan was 6-for-8 from the field and 4-for-6 from outside the arc.
Darrius Morrow, Sam Hinnant and Daquan Joyner joined Legan in double-digit scoring. The Pirates' 94 points were the most since a 100-point outing against UNC-Pembroke in 2003.
Morrow's solid play was a welcome sight for McCarthy, who is relying on the freshman to be one of the first players off the bench and provide a formidable post presence. Morrow more than doubled his output from the Coker game, as the Atlanta native notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds.
"I think some of the difference was that I was probably nervous on Friday night with my first game and I was not as nervous tonight," said Morrow. "Coach got on me after Friday night's performance, so I came here ready to work. It's all about my aggressiveness."
St. Andrews played ECU tough early on, jumping out to a 9-3 lead. The Pirates didn't gain control of the game until they took the lead for good at the 12:40 mark.
The Knights stayed close until they were outscored 17-4 in the final five minutes of the first half. Two consecutive three-pointers from Legan highlighted the rally that gave ECU a 43-26 lead at halftime.
The Pirates put their scoring into overdrive to lead off the second half, burying St. Andrews with a 22-9 run over the first eight minutes to extend the lead to 65-35.
ECU finished the game shooting 52.2 percent from the field and knocked down nine three-pointers.
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