SAN ANTONIO (Interstat) — A frigid offensive start threatened to derail East Carolina early, but a dominant second-half surge propelled the Pirates to a 65-58 victory over Texas-San Antonio in an American Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Tuesday night at the Convocation Center.

The Pirates, who managed only six points in the opening quarter, found their rhythm after halftime to outscore the Roadrunners 40-32 over the final 20 minutes and secure their third consecutive conference win.

East Carolina (14-6, 4-3 AAC) leaned heavily on junior forward Keanna Rembert, who scored a game-high 21 points. The 6-foot-2 Raleigh, North Carolina, native added two assists and a block in 33 minutes, anchoring the Pirates’ interior effort. Guard Savannah Brooks provided crucial support with 14 points, four assists and a steal, also playing 33 minutes. Jayla Hearp added 10 points for the Pirates.

Texas-San Antonio (9-8, 3-4), which entered the game as a significant favorite according to advanced metrics, was led by a balanced scoring attack but could not sustain its early momentum. Damara Allen and Mia Hammonds each scored 12 points for the Roadrunners, while Ereauna Hardaway dished out seven assists.

The game’s pivotal shift occurred in the third quarter. After trailing 26-25 at halftime, East Carolina erupted for 25 points in the period. A 9-2 run midway through the quarter, capped by a Jayla Hearp three-pointer assisted by Brooks, gave the Pirates a lead they would not relinquish. The Pirates’ defense simultaneously tightened, forcing several Roadrunners turnovers that fueled their transition game.

Texas-San Antonio struggled to find consistent offense outside of brief flashes. The Roadrunners shot just 13 points in each of the first two quarters and could not mount a sustained response to East Carolina’s second-half pressure. A late three-pointer from Hardaway with 37 seconds remaining cut the deficit to 58-55, but the Pirates sealed the game at the free-throw line.

The Roadrunners’ Emilia Dannebauer, a 6-foot-4 forward from Berlin, Germany, contributed eight points and three assists before fouling out in the fourth quarter.

The announced attendance was 786.

East Carolina, which has won five of its last six games, will travel to face UAB on Saturday. Texas-San Antonio looks to rebound on the road at Memphis, also on Saturday.

The most important part of the game was East Carolina’s decisive third-quarter performance. After a first half characterized by poor shooting and offensive stagnation, where they scored just 25 points total, the Pirates flipped the script entirely after halftime. They scored 25 points in the third quarter alone, leveraging a more aggressive defensive stance that created turnovers and easy scoring opportunities. This period transformed a one-point halftime deficit into a multi-possession lead, establishing control and momentum that Texas-San Antonio could never fully overcome. The quarter represented the game’s critical turning point, where East Carolina’s execution and adjustment overwhelmed the Roadrunners.