GREENVILLE — East Carolina overwhelmed Division III North Carolina Wesleyan, 97-70, in the season opener for both teams in Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum on Monday night.

Senior R.J. Felton scored 22 points for the Pirates. He hit seven of 14 field goal attempts, including three of five from behind the arc and dropped all five of his free throws.

C.J. Walker, who played previously at Oregon and Central Florida, had 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Temple transfer Jordan Riley had 14 points and Cam Hayes added 10.

ECU led 65-32 at intermission, setting a school record for points in a half.

“We didn’t set any records in the second half,” said third-year Pirates coach Mike Shwartz on the ECU radio network. “We’ve got things to work on, but if we didn’t — it wouldn’t be good.”

Shwartz played his bench extensively over the last 20 minutes.

The Bishops, based in Rocky Mount, were paced by Marquis Eskew, who had 16 points, hitting half of his 12 field goal tries.

The Pirates will get a step up in competition when they host Coastal Carolina on Saturday at 4 p.m. The Chanticleers topped visiting Western Michigan, 60-56, on Monday night.