WICHITA, Kan. – Jane Asinde and Mariah McCully combined to score 40 of Wichita State's 70 points in a 70-55 win over East Carolina Tuesday night in Charles Koch Arena.
Wichita State (11-7, 2-3) snapped a two-game skid with the victory and a three-game losing streak at home. After trailing by one at the half, Wichita State outscored ECU 42-26 in the second half to record its first win of the season after facing a halftime deficit. They were 0-5 entering the game.
Asinde poured in a new career-high 21 points on 9-of-14 shooting, while adding five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. It marked her second 20-point game of the season and ninth game in double figures.
McCully's efficient night consisted of 19 points behind a 7-of-11 night from the field. She also pulled down a season-best seven boards. Asia Strong chipped in 10 of her 15 points in the fourth quarter and grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. DJ McCarty dished out five assists to go with her 10 points.
On a night when the outside shot wasn't falling (4-of-15) Wichita State dominated in the paint, outscoring ECU 40-16. Wichita State forced 21 ECU turnovers and converted those miscues into 24 points on the other end.
The Pirates outrebounded Wichita State by two but shot just 32 percent from the field.
Wichita State grabbed a one-point lead after 10 minutes behind 7-of-11 shooting, but seven turnovers kept ECU in it. The Pirates were just 4-of-16 from the floor in the first quarter and trailed by as many as seven, but back-to-back three-pointers capped an 8-0 run in the final minute of the period.
ECU then opened the second quarter on a 6-2 run to take a 20-15 lead. Da'Ja Green came off the bench for the Pirates and torched the Shocker defense to the tune of 14 first half points behind 4-of-6 from three-point range. Her hot shooting and 12 Wichita State turnovers sent the Pirates into the locker room with a 29-28 lead.
ECU came into the game last in the American and near the bottom of the NCAA in three-point shooting but converted on 6-of-19 attempts in the first half. Wichita State converted on 41 percent of its attempts despite missing seven of its nine tries from long range.
Asinde (9) and McCully (8) combined to score 17 of the Shockers' 28 first half points. McCully cashed in a couple three-pointers in the second quarter to keep ECU within striking distance.
Wichita State opened the third quarter on a 16-2 run to take its largest lead, 44-31. All the scoring came from three players led by eight from McCully, five from Asinde and three from McCarty.
The Shockers outscored ECU 18-6 in the third to take a 46-35 lead into the final period. ECU was just 3-for-17 from the floor in the third and turned the ball over eight times.
Wichita State stretched the margin to 20 just under four minutes into the final frame behind a 14-5 run. The lead never shrunk below 12 the rest of the way. Seventeen of Wichita State's 24 fourth quarter points came from Strong (10) and Asinde (7).
Up Next
Wichita State welcomes UCF to Charles Koch Arena for a Saturday showdown at Noon CT on ESPN+.
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