Championship Central
 
UNCASVILLE, Conn. – No. 7 seed ECU (25-6) got its redemption in an 85-74 win over No. 10 seed SMU (10-20) Saturday afternoon in the first round of the Aaron's American Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Championship at Mohegan Sun Arena.



ECU, which fell to the Mustangs in the opening round of last year's tournament, advances to the quarterfinal round Sunday to face No. 2-seeded USF at 2:30 p.m. ET. The game will be televised on ESPNU and available on WatchESPN. 
 
The Pirates showed their depth as nine players scored at least one basket. ECU had 28 points off 31 forced turnovers and got 32 points from its bench. The Pirates put four players in double-figure scoring, including Salita Greene (18), Lashonda Monk (17), Ariyana Williams (16) and Alex Frazier (10).
 
The Mustangs shot 48 percent from the floor and led 40-32 in rebounds, but were undone by 31 turnovers, which led to 28 ECU points. McKenzie Adams scored a game-high 25 points, while Ariana Whitfield had 22. 
 
Despite shooting 20 percent from the field in the first quarter, ECU led 15-14 at the first intermission with a 6-0 run to end the opening frame. Back-to-back 3-pointers by Whitfield briefly tied the game at 28-28 in the second quarter, but the Pirates outscored the Mustangs, 12-7, in the final five minutes to enter the locker room with a 40-35 lead. Whitfield ended the half going 4-of-5 from behind the arc with a team-best 14 points.
 
ECU continued a strong offensive showing through the third period, leading by as high of 12 points and taking a 59-50 lead into the fourth quarter. The Pirates held at least a seven-point lead through the final quarter to secure the win.