Women’s basketball preview: VCU vs. East Carolina

What:
VCU (2-1) vs. East Carolina (3-3)

When:
Tonight, 7 p.m.

Where:
Verizon Wireless Arena at the Stuart C. Siegel Center

Tickets:
Students admitted free with student ID
Non-student adults: $5
Youth/seniors: $3
Children (under 5): free

Expected starters:

VCU:
Junior guard Jennifer Lane (11 ppg, 4.3 rpg)
Junior forward Courtney Hurt (23.7 ppg, 12 rpg)
Redshirt-sophomore forward Sonia Johnson (4.7 ppg, 6.3 rpg)
Senior guard Jessica Taylor (3.3 ppg, 2.3 rpg)
Junior center Chelsea Snyder (4.3 ppg, 7 rpg)

East Carolina:
Senior guard Allison Spivey
Redshirt-senior guard Kelly Smith
Junior forward Chareya Smith
Senior forward Kim Gray
Junior guard Ashley Clarke

Notes:
-VCU will be playing their first game in 10 days after not participating in a Thanksgiving break tournament, but the team now has to play five games in a 20-day span, including tonight.

-The matchup between VCU and ECU will be the seventh straight matchup in as many years, as well as the 23rd all-time matchup.

-The school’s have split the last two match-ups, with ECU taking last season’s game 88-85 and the Rams taking the 2008 match up 78-67.

-VCU started off 2-0 before dropping their first match of season to Virginia Tech in Blacksburg. The Rams were able to force overtime in a back and forth struggle but saw the Hokies ultimately emerge winners, 63-61.

-VCU junior forward Courtney Hurt – the only Ram selected to any of the Preseason All-CAA teams as a Second Team selection – is averaging a double-double per game with 23.7 points per game and 12 rebounds per game.

-ECU is coming off a 14-point victory over UMass on Sunday after the Pirates hit a school-record 13 three-point field goals.

-If ECU can defeat VCU, it will be their first time winning back-to-back games thus far this season.

-ECU leads the all-time series over VCU 12-10; the Rams are 6-3 all-time at home against the Pirates.