Giovanni Emejuru added 10 points for the Pirates (3-7) who were down by as much as 18 points but mounted a furious rally in the second half to pull within a point with seven minutes to go.
Kasen Jennings led App State (6-5) with 20 points as the Mountaineers led wire-to-wire.
Early foul trouble in the Pirates’ frontcourt combined with a 0-of-6 start from the floor allowed App to take a 9-0 lead and force a Pirate timeout. Riley finally got ECU on the board with a midrange jumper at the 14:55 mark and Vito Perkovic converted on a three-pointer to trim the Mountaineers’ lead to six but a three-point play by Alonzo Dodd put App ahead 13-5 at the second media timeout of the first half.
App State’s lead ballooned to as much as 18 after a 7-0 Mountaineers run as the Pirates found themselves in a 33-17 hole at the half.
The Pirates showed some fight early in the second half, going on a 7-0 run and forcing four App turnovers to pull within eight after Isaiah Mbeng’s three pointer. ECU’s defense continued to tighten the screws, taking the ball away from the Mountaineers two more times after a timeout and another Riley jumper made the score 38-32 with 14:51 remaining.
After the Pirates pulled within four on an Emejuru alleyoop, App State responded with a quick flurry to increase their lead to 11. ECU would not go quietly as Tybo Bailey hit two threes to get the Pirates back into the game and a second chance score from Luke Davis made the score 51-50 with seven minutes remaining.
The Pirates were unable to capitalize on the momentum and get that close again as App State went back up by 11 on back-to-back scores from Luke Wilson to secure the win.
Up Next
East Carolina faces a quick turnaround as the Pirates host Buffalo on Sunday at 1 p.m. on ESPN+.
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