GREENVILLE, N.C., JAN. 17, 2018 – East Carolina scored the first basket of the night and never looked back, getting a wire-to-wire victory over the Bulls, 90-52, on Wednesday night.

The loss marked the sixth straight for USF (7-12, 0-6 AAC) to open conference play after winning the last three of the nonconference slate. ECU (8-10, 2-5 AAC) held the Bulls to only 18 points in the first half on 7-for-21 (33.3 percent) shooting from the field.

The Pirates, meanwhile, got off to a fast start, scoring their second-most first half points of the season with 44 and shooting 51.3 percent (16-for-31) from the field.

The Bulls had better luck in the second half, scoring 34 points on 13-for-28 (46.4 percent) from the field.

With the loss, USF dropped both halves of the season series to ECU after falling, 67-65, to the Pirates just two weeks ago at the Sun Dome.

Stephan Jiggetts (Forestville, Md.) was the leading scorer for the Bulls with 15 points on 6-for-11 shooting from the field and 3-for-5 from three.

David Collins (Youngstown, Ohio) dished out six assists in the game, a new career high. His previous high was four, which he had done three times this season. The freshman finished with eight points, including six-for-six from the free throw line.

Shawn Williams led all scorers in the game with 22 points for ECU, his career high. Williams made six three-pointers in the game on nine attempts.


Key Stats
19 – ECU had 19 boards at the half, compared to only 10 for the Bulls. ECU ended up with a 33 to 19 advantage in rebounds.
10 – The Bulls were whistled for 10 fouls in the first half, with four different players collecting two fouls in the opening frame.
24 – ECU outscored the Bulls by 24 points in the paint, 40-16.
 
Notable

• USF was held under 20 points in the first half for the second time this season.
• The Bulls used the same lineup as on Saturday against Cincinnati, snapping a streak of four straight games with a different lineup.
• Stephan Jiggetts led the Bulls in scoring for the sixth time this season and had his most points since he scored 18 against ECU on Jan. 3.

Up Next
The Bulls return home for the annual War on I-4 matchup with UCF on Saturday night at the Sun Dome. The game is slated for a 6 p.m. start and will be broadcast live on ESPNU.

Saturday is the annual Salute to Service game at the Sun Dome, with military and veterans able to receive a ticket for $7 with a valid ID. The first 500 students through the gate will also receive a free #BeatUCF SoFlo Rally Towel. Reserve your seats for the game at USFBullsTix.com.
 
About USF Men's Basketball
The USF men's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Gregory. On March 22, Gregory was introduced as the 10^th head coach in program history. He previously led programs at Georgia Tech (2011-16) and Dayton (2003-11). Gregory spent nearly a decade as an assistant coach under Michigan State's Hall of Fame head coach Tom Izzo and helped the Spartans win the 2000 NCAA National Championship. Gregory brings nearly 250 career head coaching wins and six postseason appearances, including the 2010 NIT Championship, to Tampa.

USF has retired three numbers in its 47-year history: Chucky Atkins (12), Charlie Bradley (30) and Radenko Dobras (31). The Bulls have earned three NCAA tournament bids and appeared in the NIT eight times.

For tickets, contact the USF Ticket Office at 1-800-Go-Bulls or by going online to USFBullsTix.com.