GREENVILLE — R.J. Felton and Brandon Johnson each scored 21 points for East Carolina on Thursday night in a 68-55 American Athletic Conference win over Wichita State in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum as the Pirates evened their league record at 6-6.
ECU was 6-12 in the AAC in Mike Schwartz’s first season as coach in 2022-23.
The Pirates had won, 54-52, at Wichita State on Jan. 24.
“This is always going to be a team where we hang our hat on defense,” Schwartz said. ” … There’s a huge emphasis on defense.”
The Shockers were limited to 37.7 percent field goal shooting (20 for 53) while ECU was at 45.5 percent (25 for 55). The visitors made just four of 21 from beyond the arc (19 percent) while the Pirates connected on seven of 19 from long range (36.8 percent).
Both teams were hitting from the line as Wichita State dropped 11 of 13 (84.6 percent) while ECU was 11 for 12 (91.7 percent).
Johnson hit seven of 13 from the floor and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Felton made seven of 14 field goal attempts and had seven rebounds.
The Pirates held a 33-30 rebounding advantage and committed fewer turnovers, 11-14.
ECU (13-12) rallied from a 17-11 deficit for a 38-27 halftime lead. The Pirates had their biggest lead at 56-37 with 9:45 remaining.
Bobby Pettiford Jr. had eight points and four assists in the win. Cam Hayes added seven points and five assists. Jaden Walker contributed four points and seven rebounds. Ezra Ausar had four points in 13 minutes.
The Pirates host Tulane (13-11, 4-8) on Sunday at 2 p.m. (ESPN+). The Green Wave sustained an 87-79 loss to Southern Methodist (18-7, 9-3) in New Orleans on Thursday night.
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