Kemp, Pirates weather Hurricane

From electronic and staff reports
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Conference USA scoring leader Maurice Kemp shook off a one-game slump and scored 23 points to help East Carolina capture a key Conference USA road victory over Tulsa Wednesday night.

After being held to nine points in ECU's overtime loss to Southern Miss on Saturday, Kemp was back in typical offensive form against the Golden Hurricane, connecting on 9-of-14 field goals attempts and three of four free throws. The performance boosted the senior forward's scoring average to 18.2 and polished his credentials for All-Conference USA honors.

Trailing 56-51 with 6:41 remaining, the Pirates outscored Tulsa 21-7 the rest of the way to notch the win and pull into a tie with the Hurricane for fifth place in the league.

East Carolina (15-10, 6-6 C-USA) led by as many as 14 points in the first half and went into intermission with a 34-29 advantage. But Tulsa (14-12, 6-6) controlled the momentum during most of the final frame, leading by five on two occasions before the Pirates went on the decisive run that sealed the outcome.

Reserve junior guard Akeem Richmond nailed five threes and tallied 17 points, junior forward Ty Armstrong scored 13 and sophomore guard Paris Roberts-Campbell had 10 points and nine rebounds for ECU. Senior point guard Miguel Paul directed the playmaking for the Pirates, distributing ten assists.

Senior guard Scottie Haralson paced Tulsa attack with 20 points and nine rebounds. Senior forward Kauri Black had 13 points and junior guard Pat Swilling, Jr., added 11 for the Hurricane.

The win ended ECU's eight-game losing streak to Tulsa.

The Pirates play the middle game in their three-game road swing with a 3 p.m. matchup against Southern Methodist on Saturday. Coached by former NBA skipper Larry Brown, the Mustangs (13-13, 3-8) will have had a week to prepare for the contest since a 78-67 loss at Tulane (17-9, 5-6) last Saturday.

PAGE UPDATED 02/21/13 06:52 AM.

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