ECU Outclassed by No. 11 Michigan State in 89-56 Blowout at Fort Myers Tip-Off

East Carolina went down to Fort Myers knowing it would face one of the best teams in the country, and Michigan State wasted no time reminding them of that fact.

The Pirates were completely overwhelmed Tuesday night in the opening game of the Fort Myers Tip-Off, falling 89-56 to the 11th-ranked Spartans inside Suncoast Credit Union Arena. ECU (2-4) has now dropped four of its last five, all by double digits, and will turn around quickly to face St. Bonaventure on Thanksgiving at noon.

A Long Night From the Jump

ECU never led in the game, only tying things at 9-9 with 13:30 left in the first half. From there, Michigan State took full command, ripping off runs of 8-0, 7-0, and another 7-0 to break the game open. By halftime, the Pirates were staring at a 47-24 deficit, and the second half only widened the gap.

The Spartans’ size, speed, and physicality were too much.

Schwartz: “That’s an elite defensive team.”

Head coach Michael Schwartz didn’t mince words afterward.

"The reality is this: That's an elite defensive team, a national championship-contending basketball team," Schwartz said on the ECU Sports Network postgame show. "The difference is the length on the perimeter, the length in the gaps, the length and the strength. That's what caused the majority of the turnovers. We have to be stronger in a lot of areas. But that length and the way they collapsed on us and pressured us, it affected us."

That pressure absolutely buried ECU’s offense. The Pirates committed 24 turnovers, had eight shots blocked, and shot just 33.3% from the field. Meanwhile, Michigan State lit it up, hitting 13-of-28 from deep and shooting 50.7% overall.

Schwartz: “We’re going through it… but we’re going to fix it.”

With multiple injuries and a rotation stretched thin, Schwartz emphasized sticking together.

"We're no doubt going through it right now as a ball club with injuries and where we're at," Schwartz said.
"I would ask Pirate Nation to stick with us. We're going to get this right. This is not a barometer of a possession-by-possession game with Michigan State — that's a national championship-caliber team."

He praised his team’s effort, even through the adversity.

"We didn't have to be perfect, but we had to be pretty darn good to be in the game… we're down two senior captains. We're going through it right now, there's no doubt. But the grit, the buy-in, the fight of this team is there. We're going to fix it and we're going to work to fix it."

Riley Fights, Then Goes Down Hurt

As if things weren’t bad enough, Jordan Riley, ECU’s leading scorer, had to exit the game late after grabbing at his lower back.

Riley was hounded by Michigan State’s length the entire night, but still led ECU with 13 points (4-of-12) before the injury concern popped up. His status will be something to monitor heading into Thursday.

Numbers Tell the Story

Here’s the full ECU box score highlight:

• Jordan Riley: 13 pts, 4-12 FG

• Corey Caulker: 11 pts, 4-8 FG, 4 ast

• Giovan Emejuru: 9 pts, 8 reb

• Reid Cason: 9 pts, 5-5 FT

• Tybo Bailey: 6 pts

• ECU: 33.3% FG, 24 turnovers

• MSU: 50.7% FG, 13 made threes

The Pirates were dominated in nearly every category: points in the paint, bench scoring, transition defense, shooting, efficiency, physicality, you name it.

What’s Next

ECU now turns to St. Bonaventure on Thanksgiving at 12 PM ET, a chance to salvage something from the Fort Myers trip before returning home.

Schwartz insists the group is sticking together, and the season is far from lost. But Tuesday night was a reminder of just how far this team has to go against top-level competition.