Led By Legan, Pirates Fend Off Seahawks

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Senior guard James Legan tied a school record with eight three-pointers to lead five East Carolina players in double figures as the Pirates rolled past UNC Wilmington,99-85, in college men’s basketball action Wednesday night at Trask Coliseum.

The Pirates improved to 6-1 on the season with their first victory in their last 12 visits to the Port City. The Seahawks, meanwhile, dropped their second straight to slip to 3-5 on the young season.

Legan scored all but two of his team-high 26 points from behind the arc as the Houston, Texas, native went 9-of-16 from the floor and 8-of-13 from 3-point range. Sophomore guard Jamar Abrams added 18, freshman forward Darrius Morrow chipped in 14, senior guard Sam Hinnant added 11 and sophomore center Chad Wynn pitched in 10 for the Pirates, who shot 53.8 percent from the floor in the contest. Morrow grabbed a team-best nine caroms, while Legan pulled down a career-high eight rebounds. Sophomore point guard Brock Young dished out a career-high 12 assists and added seven points.

Sophomore playmaker Chad Tomko notched a game-high 29 points and sophomore Dominque Lacy added 22 for UNCW, which posted a .545 field goal percentage in the contest. Junior guard Johnny Wolf was the third Seahawk player to reach double figures with 19 points to go along with seven rebounds and seven assists. Freshman guard Jerel Stephenson pulled down a team-best nine rebounds as UNCW built a 38-31 advantage on the glass.

Leading 52-48 at the break, ECU opened the second half by scoring eight straight points to start a 23-8 run that lasted more than six minutes and gave the Pirates their first double-digit lead of the contest, 75-56. Legan highlighted the game-changing run by hitting four straight three pointers over a 2:15 span as four different ECU players scored during the stretch.  

ECU maintained its double-digit advantage throughout the rest of the contest, leading by as many as 21 midway through the frame, before an 8-4 stretch pulled the Seahawks within 12 points, 92-80, with 1:33 left in the second half. The Pirates scored seven of the last 12 points of the game to for the final 14-point margin.

ECU raced out to an early 9-2 lead as it converted on each of its first four possessions in the opening 1:14 of the contest.
Lacy and Tomko brought the Seahawks storming back, teaming up to score nine of the next 13 points, to bring UNCW within two points, 13-11, at the 16:15 mark of the first half. The two teams traded baskets until a jumper by Hinnant jumpstarted a 7-1 ECU run that stretched the lead to 29-22.

The Seahawks responded, using a jumper and three pointer from Tomko on back-to-back possessions, to ignite a 12-3 UNCW spurt that gave the Seahawks a 34-32 lead with 7:34 remaining.

A 3-pointer by Hinnant staked ECU to a 35-34 lead and began a 4:30 stretch of basketball that saw eight lead changes and one tie. The Pirates closed out the half strong, scoring seven of the last nine points to take a 52-48 lead into the locker room.
Both teams shot the ball well in the first half as ECU connected on 56.1 percent of its attempts from the floor, while UNCW converted 60.0 percent of its opportunities from the field. 

Both teams return to action Saturday at 7 p.m. UNCW opens Colonial Athletic Association play against Georgia State and ECU returns home to host Limestone.

-Story courtesy UNCW Sports Information
Photos: Rodney Williams, Cape Fear Sports Report

-- Jesse Jones, CAPE FEAR SPORTS REPORT