GREENVILLE, N.C. – Jontae Sherrod scored 20 points, Darrius Morrow added 18 and East Carolina used a strong finish at the free-throw line to rally past Houston 74-70 Saturday night.
The Pirates (12-9, 4-3 Conference USA) faced their biggest deficit — 13 points — with 10:07 left and were still down by eight with 5:08 left. They trailed 64-56, but pulled to within one, 66-65, on a 9-2 run that Morrow capped with a dunk.
Jamar Abrams gave East Carolina the lead for good on two free throws with 1:46 left. The Pirates made 7 of 8 the rest of the way and were 28 of 34 overall. They were 24 of 28 in the second half, while the Cougars (11-9, 3-4) were only 13 of 19 for the game.
Houston led 57-44 but 11 second-half turnovers took their toll, giving East Carolina 15 points in the final 20 minutes. Maurice McNeil led the Cougars, who used only seven players, with 18 points and 13 rebounds.
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