Ezra Ausar notched a double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds as East Carolina defeated Maryland Eastern Shore 63-52 inside Williams Arena at Minges Coliseum.

Brandon Johnson also recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds for the Pirates (6-3) who shook off a slow start to win their second straight game. RJ Felton added 13 points on 3-of-6 shooting from behind the arc.

Chace Davis led the Hawks (2-5) with 13 points and the Pirates held the Hawks' leading scorer Troy Hupstead to one point in 11 minutes.

ECU started the game off slow and found itself in an early battle with the Hawks as the teams were locked in a 13-13 time with 10:42 to go in the first half. The Pirates' cold first-half shooting at 28 percent, including 7:29 without a made field goal, would allow the Hawks to build their largest lead at six points. ECU would close the half on a 9-3 run to take a 32-31 lead at the break.

The Pirates would use scoring runs of 12-0 and 10-0 coming out of the locker room to blow the game open in the second half and seal the win.

Up Next
East Carolina hosts South Carolina on Saturday, Dec. 9 at noon on ESPNU.