GAME NOTES: The East Carolina Pirates and UNC-Wilmington Seahawks renew their series on Saturday when the non-conference rivals meet at Trask Coliseum.

These in-state foes have not met in Wilmington since 2008, and the Pirates have only won six times there in 27 matchups. UNCW leads the all-time series, 34-27.

The Seahawks are coming off a 73-70 overtime win on Wednesday over Liberty, which forced the extra session with a late layup in regulation, but went three-plus minutes in OT without scoring.

Craig Ponder paced UNCW with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Freddie Jackson donated 16 and seven for the victors. The Seahawks won despite making just 27-of-44 of their free throws. They only connected on half of their 14 attempts in overtime.

The defense, though, limited Liberty to 39.4 percent shooting, and the last four opponents have made good on only 36.6 percent of their total shots. UNCW is also among the nation's best in steals per game (8.9).

Jackson leads the way with 17.4 ppg, while Ponder and Addison Spruill check in with 11.9 and 11.7 ppg, respectively, for the Seahawks. Cedrick Williams, who recorded the game-winning block in last season's win over ECU, is filling the stat sheet with 9.3 points, 8.1 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per outing.

East Carolina pulled out a 70-58 victory over James Madison last Saturday, a much-needed win that pulled the Pirates back to .500 following back-to-back losses, which included a 44-point drubbing at the hands of North Carolina.

Trailing by three at halftime, the Pirates used Terry Whisnant and a resurgent Caleb White to stage a comeback. Whisnant notched 14 of his game-high 24 points after the break while White netted all 16 of his to help snap the skid. BJ Tyson, the eighth-highest scoring freshman in Division I at 15.5 ppg, chipped in with 14 points, while Michael Zangari grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

Along with Tyson, White (14.2 ppg) and Whisnant (13.1 ppg) are also consistent scoring threats for a team that is averaging 72.1 ppg. The Pirates are shooting 44.9 percent from the floor and have had four different players lead them in scoring in four of the last five contests.

ECU has dropped seven straight on the road and has a bad history at Trask Coliseum. Unless Tyson, White and Whisnant can step up with dominant efforts, the script will likely remain the same.