Memphis ruins Pirates' Senior Day
By
Al Myatt
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All rights reserved.
Post-game Audio: Lebo, Zangari, Williams...
GREENVILLE — This has been a
subpar season for Memphis by the program's traditional standards, but
the decline was not evident in an 83-53 win on Senior Day at East
Carolina on Sunday.
The Tigers improved to 17-14 and 8-10
in the American Athletic Conference by hitting 34 of 63 shots from the
field for 54 percent.
Memphis made 10 of 23 attempts from
beyond the arc for 43.5 percent in squaring the season series following
an 84-83 loss at home to the Pirates
on Jan. 24.
"Memphis had energy, enthusiasm and
they shot it well," said ECU coach Jeff Lebo.
The Pirates started seniors Mike
Zangari, Kanu Aja, Prince Williams, Drew Bost and Peyton Robbins.
Aja's dunk with 9:21 left in the
first half gave ECU a 20-18 lead but the Tigers responded with a 19-2
run.
Memphis was ahead 41-26 at the half
and led by as many as 35 points in the second half.
"We laid an egg," said Prince
Williams.
B.J. Tyson led the Pirates (12-19,
4-14) with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists. Michel Nzege had 11
points. Caleb White scored 10 points and had three steals.
Zangari had eight points and six
rebounds as ECU held a 35-32 lead on the boards. Zangari wore No. 41 in
honor of Marshall Guilmette, who was recognized with the seniors. Health
issues forced Guilmette to stop playing before what would have been his
junior season in 2015-16.
Prince Williams had seven points and
five assists but made an uncharacteristic six turnovers. The Pirates
committed 22 turnovers to 10 for the Tigers.
"We couldn't even dribble," Lebo
said. "Oddest thing I've seen."
The Tigers had a 32-3 command in
points off of turnovers.
Avery Woodson led Memphis with 20
points. Shaq Goodwin had 17 points and eight rebounds. Dedric Lawson had
14 points and five assists. Trahson Burrell had 13 points, six assists
and five steals. Jeremiah Martin had five assists for the Tigers.
The Pirates go into the AAC
Tournament as the No. 8 seed and will face No. 9 South Florida in the
opening game at the Amway Center in Orlando at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. The
winner advances to meet top-seeded Temple at noon on Friday.
ECU went 1-8 at home in league play
this season and 3-6 on the road in the AAC.
"Playing better on the road was a
goal," Prince Williams said.
Overall, the Pirates were 8-8 at home
and 3-10 away. ECU went 1-1 in a pair of neutral court contests in Las
Vegas.
Zangari noted that spring break had
reduced the crowd Sunday, which was announced as 4,487. ECU's final
baseball game in the LeClair Classic started 30 minutes before tipoff in
Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum and gave the fan base options for
viewing.
PAGE UPDATED
03/07/16 01:58 PM.
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