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NEWS, NOTES &
COMMENTARY
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The Bradsher Beat
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
By Bethany Bradsher |
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Triumph leaves its impressions
By
Bethany Bradsher
©2008 Bonesville.net
All rights reserved.
Some notable sights and sounds from the East
Carolina women’s basketball team's 80-75 victory over Appalachian State
Tuesday night:
The
Dominator
The omnipresence of senior guard LaCoya Terry,
who led all scorers with 34 points and fell just one shy of her career high.
Terry was unstoppable on the fast break, turning in 16 of her points on the
run.
“She had a lot of big shots for us, a couple in
the last two minutes that were huge for us,” head coach Sharon Baldwin-Tener
said. “It was wonderful that she had a game like that.”
Flaws in
the Ointment
The resounding silence in the stands when Pirate
players missed their free throws. ECU shot only 50 percent from the charity
stripe in the second half and 58.6 percent for the night, and the rebounding
was also subpar, Baldwin-Tener said.
The Mountaineers bested the Pirates on the
boards 53 to 35, and the ECU coaching staff doesn’t plan to let its squad
forget it between now and Friday’s game against Presbyterian.
“On Thursday, we’re going to come back and do
some rebounding drills,” Baldwin-Tener said. “I think this early in the
year, we’ve got to work on what we do. It was good that we only turned the
ball over 10 times, but our rebounding and our free throw shooting, it’s got
to get better if we’re going to win games.”
A Taste
of Mayhem
The rowdiness of the crowd, especially a pocket
of students behind the scorer’s table and a vocal section of the band. The
hall had a Minges Maniacs feel to it, and atmosphere mattered in a game
where the lead changed hands 24 times.
The fans’ tactics – like chanting ‘airball,
airball” whenever ASU guard Sam Ramirez touched the ball – may have lacked
originality, but succeeded in creating an unforgiving atmosphere for
visitors. It’s just the kind of inhospitality the Lady Pirates need to
cultivate.
“The crowd, they’re getting better and better
each year,” Terry said. “They pep us up. The crowd’s been a real big help
this year.”
Young Gun
The emergence of freshman center Jean Best, who
finished the game with 13 points. Baldwin-Tener expects the 6-foot-5 Best to
produce more than the four rebounds she pulled down Tuesday, but the
Beddingfield High product has shown marked improvement since preseason
practice opened two months ago. As she matures, Best’s presence in the paint
could become a game-maker for the Lady Pirates.
Poetic
Debut
The official “Welcome to East Carolina” moment
for assistant coach Adrienne Shuler, who came to Greenville after six
seasons as the head coach at Appalachian. It was no doubt a bittersweet 40
minutes for Shuler, who recruited and coached every player on the floor. But
with a win over her old squad, Shuler can set her face forward as a Pirate.
On a team that lost only one player to
graduation, Shuler is one of three new assistants on Baldwin-Tener’s
completely refurbished staff.
Early
Perfection
A flawless record for all ECU ballers, 4-0 for
men and women combined so far with three more games in the next four days.
The men play Campbell Wednesday and George Mason Saturday, and the women
complete their three-game home stand when Presbyterian College comes to town
Friday.
No
Cavities, but Sunburned
The Pepto-Bismol effect. I’m not trying to pour
fuel on a smoldering fire, but under the fluorescent Williams Arena lights
the new PeeDee the Pirate’s face is jarringly pink. The teeth I can handle,
but PeeDee looks like he spent a long day on Emerald Isle wearing nothing
but coconut oil.
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11/19/2008 02:15:34 AM |
