Greenville N.C.— RJ Felton scored 22 points to lead East Carolina to a commanding 97-70 victory over North Carolina Wesleyan in their season opener on Monday night.
Felton shot 7 of 14 from the field, including 3 of 5 from three-point range, and made all five of his free throws for the Pirates. C.J. Walker contributed 21 points on 8 of 13 shooting and 5 of 8 from the line, also adding 12 rebounds. Joran Riley scored 14 points, hitting 6 of 12 shots, including 1 of 3 from beyond the arc.
The Pirates led 65-32 at the break, and at one point in the first half they led by as many as 35. The 65 points were the most scored by ECU in a half all-time, edging a previous 64-point effort in a half against Saint Andrews in 2012.
“I like how we played in the first half, like how we jumped out, and I liked for the most part what we did in that first half,” Schwartz said. “Not nearly as ecstatic about how we maybe stayed consistently inconsistent in the second half to not play our best. But we have a lot of areas we need to continue to grow, and that’s what you expect this time of year.”
ECU (1-0) shot 50 percent from downtown (10-of-20) and grabbed 54 rebounds. The first half was a show of athleticism and domination as the Pirates played tough inside near the basket and ran the floor hard in transition.
ECU scored 46 points on the blocks and added 19 more on fast breaks. The Pirates didn’t give up many clean looks and held the Bishops to 35 percent (23-of-66) shooting from the field.
“My biggest thing is playing inside-out, seeing the ball going in the basket and just going from there,” Walker said. “But I had it going around the basket, and I didn’t want to shy away from it. And it was helping the team out so I just kept it going.”
For the Battling Bishops, Marquis Eskew led with 16 points and four assists. James Jones added 15 points and two steals, while Kaleb Brooks contributed nine points and two steals for North Carolina Wesleyan.
