The East Carolina women’s basketball team suffered a tough 63-58 loss to Temple on Wednesday afternoon at the Liacouras Center. Jayla Hearp led the Pirates with 19 points, but despite a spirited comeback, ECU couldn’t hold onto a late lead in their second AAC game of the season.
The Pirates (8-6, 0-2 AAC) started strong, but back-to-back three-pointers by Temple’s Tarriyonna Gary and Tiarra East shifted momentum. A 14-0 run by the Owls (8-5, 2-0 AAC), fueled by Gary’s sharpshooting, forced ECU to call an early timeout. Khia Miller finally ended the scoring drought with a jumper, and a buzzer-beater by Taliyah Wyche narrowed the deficit to three points at the end of the first quarter.
Temple extended their lead in the second quarter, but the Pirates clawed their way back, thanks largely to Hearp’s offensive brilliance. The junior guard was unstoppable in the first half, scoring 15 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting, including three from beyond the arc. Despite Hearp’s efforts, Gary continued to shine for Temple, tallying 18 first-half points, including four three-pointers, to keep the Owls ahead.
In the second half, ECU’s defense tightened, holding Temple scoreless for over five minutes and without a field goal for nearly eight. The Pirates tied the game midway through the third quarter on an Anzhané Hutton jumper, but Temple reclaimed the lead heading into the fourth.
Hutton delivered a standout performance with 11 points and 10 rebounds, marking her first double-double in an ECU uniform and her first since February 2023 while at UCF. Her relentless work on the boards, including six offensive rebounds, was a key factor in ECU’s second-half resurgence.
The Pirates finally grabbed their first lead with just over eight minutes remaining, following a 6-0 run capped by Miller’s free throws. They extended their advantage to five points on an and-one play by Miller with under five minutes to go. However, Temple’s defense responded, forcing key turnovers and holding Hearp to just four points in the second half.
With 1:42 left, Temple regained the lead after consecutive ECU turnovers. Hutton tied the game with just over a minute remaining, but Kaylah Turner’s second-chance three-pointer with 24.3 seconds left proved decisive. Turner’s clutch shot was her first made three of the game, and the Pirates’ final attempt to equalize, a shot by Tatyana Wyche, came up short. Temple sealed the win at the free-throw line.
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