CONWAY, SC (WTVR)- It wasn't a bad as Thursday night, but Old Dominion still had trouble finding its footing.
The Monarchs trimmed a double-digit deficit to five in the second half, but were unable to complete the comeback, falling to East Carolina, 73-60, in the Myrtle Beach Invitational on Friday night.
A 19-3 first half run by the Pirates put ODU in a 32-16 hole with 6:05 to play in the first half and ECU held a 41-29 advantage at the break. The Monarchs only trailed by five with 8:30 to play, but another surge by East Carolina slammed the door on their comeback hopes.
Kalu Ezikpe led the way with 16 points and eight rebounds. Charles Smith added 12 points. ECU's Tristen Newton led all scorers with 18 points.
The Monarchs only committed ten turnovers in the loss and shot 39 percent from the floor. East Carolina caught fire in the second half, connecting on 11 of their 18 shot attempts (61 percent), which was too much for ODU to overcome.
Old Dominion falls to 2-3 on the season and looks to pick up a win in Myrtle Beach on Sunday when it faces Pennsylvania in the seventh place game at 12:30 PM.
