ECU Run Off the Floor in 99–51 Loss at No. 12 North Carolina
CHAPEL HILL - East Carolina ran into a buzzsaw Tuesday night inside the Dean Dome, falling 99–51 to the North Carolina Tar Heels in one of the most lopsided losses in program history.
The Pirates actually won the opening tip and scored first, but that was about the only positive early moment for ECU, as UNC quickly took control and never looked back. North Carolina used its depth, pace, and overwhelming athleticism to dominate from start to finish, stretching the margin to 48 points by the final horn.
The loss marks ECU’s largest defeat since a 51-point loss at Houston in 2018 and is tied for the ninth-largest margin of defeat in program history. The Tar Heels played fast, physical, and efficient basketball, showing exactly why they entered the night ranked 12th nationally. UNC improved to 12–1 with the win.
Emejuru the Lone Bright Spot
The lone consistent bright spot for East Carolina was Giovanni Emejuru. The senior center finished with a double-double, scoring 21 points and grabbing 14 rebounds in 34 minutes while shooting 8-of-11 from the floor.
“Gio was playing strong,” ECU head coach Michael Schwartz said postgame. “We’ve been working on some very specific things for him the last week or so about how he can score when teams are targeting him. I thought he did a good job.”
But Emejuru had little help. ECU struggled mightily on the perimeter, and Schwartz was blunt about where things went wrong.
“He did what he could do. But bigs need guards,” Schwartz said. “It’s hard for a big to control an entire game. You need guards to be able to be effective. The bottom line is 1-of-16 from our point guards isn’t good enough.”
Shooting Struggles Doom Pirates
ECU finished the night shooting just 26 percent from the field and an alarming 9 percent (2-of-22) from three-point range. Jordan Riley, the Pirates’ leading scorer this season, was held to 11 points on 4-of-24 shooting.
The shooting woes fueled UNC’s transition attack, something Schwartz said is almost impossible to survive against in Chapel Hill.
“When you struggle to shoot the basketball like we did tonight, a lot of those shots can lead to transition opportunities,” Schwartz said. “Considering how poorly we shot it, I thought we got back in transition okay. But we also had 17 turnovers, and that type of number can be a death sentence in this building.”
Despite pulling down 20 offensive rebounds, ECU managed just eight second-chance points, failing to capitalize on the few extra opportunities it created.
Non-Conference Slate Complete
The Pirates conclude non-conference play at 5–8 overall and will now turn the page to American Athletic Conference action. ECU returns to the floor on New Year’s Eve against the Tulane Green Wave, looking to reset and find footing heading into league play.