GAME NOTES: After starting out the season 9-1, the Tulane Green Wave will try to recover from back-to-back losses as they travel to face the East Carolina Pirates in American Athletic Conference play at Minges Coliseum on Wednesday.

It will be the first conference matchup of the season for both sides. Tulane has dropped consecutive games to Washington (66-57) and St. John's (82-57) to slip back to 9-3 on the year, and owns a 1-1 road record as the team heads out to Greenville.

East Carolina, on the other hand, has won two games in a row against Florida A&M (75-57) and UNC Greensboro (71-50), but the Pirates have only been able to manage a 7-6 record during this new campaign. ECU does sport a 6-1 record at home, however.

This will be the 18th all-time meeting between Tulane and East Carolina. The Green Wave lead the series, 10-7, against the Pirates, and took the most recent decision, 59-54, last season.

Tulane couldn't keep the Red Storm from scoring in the first half of Sunday's contest in Brooklyn, as St. John's went into halftime leading the Green Wave, 47-22, which meant the Storm could coast through the second half for the win. Jonathan Stark scored 15 points to pace Tulane in the loss, while Louis Dabney added 12 points in 28 minutes of play. Tulane shot 37.9 percent from the floor in the game, and made just 6-of-25 from 3-point range in the loss. St. John's dominated Tulane in the paint, scoring 46 points down low compared to 24 for the Wave.

Scoring usually hasn't been a hard thing for the Green Wave to come by, as they enter this matchup netting 70.2 ppg this season on 45.9 percent shooting. Dabney leads the charge for Tulane, netting 12.5 ppg, though his 16-32 assist- to-turnover ratio is quite upsetting. Jay Hook chips in 11.7 ppg for Tulane, while Stark rounds out the trio of double-digit scorers at 11.6 ppg. The Wave are allowing just 62.8 ppg to opponents, and have done a great job limiting opponent rebounding to just 30.9 boards per outing.

East Carolina put the pressure on UNC Greensboro offensively Sunday, as the Pirates netted 57.5 percent of their shot attempts and made 19-of-26 from the free-throw line to earn the 21-point victory. Terry Whisnant scored 17 points and dished out six assists to lead the home squad, while Caleb White added 14 points and Michel Nzege chipped in with 12 points and five rebounds. The Spartans connected on only 35 percent of their shots from the field, and made just 4-of-10 from the charity stripe in the loss.

White (13.7 ppg) and Whisnant (13.2 ppg) are two of the team's top three scorers who are averaging totals in the double figures this season. Add in a steady 13.7 ppg from freshman B.J. Tyson, and the Pirates have a strong nucleus that helps the team net 70.8 ppg. If East Carolina can better a 67.5 ppg average the team surrenders to opponents, then the Pirates can start becoming a dominant force in the American Athletic Conference.

Tulane desperately needs to bounce back from a two-game slump, especially now that conference play is underway. The Pirates won't be simply beat, though. ECU is offensively adept with a well-rounded lineup. But if the team's offense shows up with Dabney, Hook and Stark, the Green Wave could do some damage against the Pirates.