GREENVILLE, N.C. (Interstat) — East Carolina used a decisive third-quarter run and a balanced scoring effort to beat Charleston Southern 61-45 in a women’s NCAA Division I basketball game Tuesday at Williams Arena. The Pirates improved to 1-0, while the Buccaneers dropped to 0-1.

East Carolina opened with a 3-pointer from Tuana Coskun at the 9:39 mark of the first quarter. Charleston Southern answered with Lauren Cummings’ driving layup, but Mildred Dibua hit a turnaround jumper and Coskun added another 3-pointer to help the Pirates build an early cushion. Tristan Rickenbacker made one free throw, and Charleston Southern’s Selenay Tanik responded with a 3-pointer and a free throw. Dibua added a jumper, and Jayla Hearp made a 3-pointer at the 5-minute mark to push East Carolina ahead 14-6. Tanik scored on a layup, Coskun made her third 3-pointer of the opening quarter, and Celina Vilcinskas answered with a layup for the Buccaneers. Dibua made a driving layup, Ashleigh Battle made a free throw and a layup, and Vilcinskas closed the quarter with a layup that cut East Carolina’s lead to 19-15 after one period. Rickenbacker’s free throw at 6:43 came after a Charleston Southern foul. Tanik’s 3-pointer at 6:22 and free throw at 6:19 brought the Buccaneers within 9-6. Dibua’s jumper at 6:08 made it 11-6, and Hearp’s 3 at 5:00 extended the lead to 14-6. Tanik’s layup at 4:31 cut it to 14-8. Coskun’s 3 at 3:01 made it 17-8. Vilcinskas’s layup at 2:49, Dibua’s driving layup at 2:04, Battle’s free throw at 1:49 and layup at 1:20, and Vilcinskas’s layup at 0:51 produced the 19-15 score after one.

The Buccaneers continued to threaten early in the second quarter. Vilcinskas opened the scoring with a tip-in layup, but East Carolina’s Georgia Cox made a jump shot. Cummings answered with a layup, and Hearp hit a 3-pointer. Rylie Hite added a 3-pointer for the Pirates, while Iva Medugorac made two free throws for Charleston Southern. Dibua made one free throw, Hearp converted a layup, and Chelsea Dike added a layup as East Carolina stretched its lead. Vilcinskas scored again on a tip-in, but Hearp closed the half with a driving layup. Battle made a free throw for Charleston Southern just before halftime, and East Carolina led 34-24 at the break.

The third quarter proved decisive. Hearp made one free throw, Coskun hit a 3-pointer, Kendall Sneed knocked down a 3-pointer, and Olivia Hilliard made a layup as East Carolina quickly expanded its advantage. Charleston Southern got a free throw from Medugorac, but Coskun scored on a layup, Rickenbacker made two free throws, and Anica Skrivan answered with a layup for the Buccaneers. East Carolina then closed the quarter with Rickenbacker free throws, a Hite 3-pointer, and two more Rickenbacker free throws. The Pirates outscored Charleston Southern 19-3 in the period and carried a 53-27 lead into the fourth quarter.

Charleston Southern did not fade in the final period and won the quarter 18-8. Battle converted a layup and made the ensuing free throw to complete a three-point play. Hite answered with a driving layup for East Carolina, but Iva Cholakoska made a 3-pointer for the Buccaneers. Ava Rush scored on a tip-in, Vilcinskas made a layup, and Coskun made a free throw. Skrivan made a layup for Charleston Southern, and Rickenbacker made two free throws for the Pirates. Medugorac added a layup, Skrivan made two free throws, Sofia Ekh made a free throw, and Tanik made a free throw as the Buccaneers trimmed the margin. Coskun made a free throw for East Carolina, and Skrivan closed the scoring with a layup at the 0:01 mark. The Pirates’ third-quarter burst was the most important stretch of the game, turning a 10-point halftime lead into a 26-point advantage and allowing East Carolina to absorb Charleston Southern’s fourth-quarter push.

Mildred Dibua contributed 7 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks in 32 minutes for East Carolina. The 6-foot-1 forward from Oakville, Canada, previously attended Universal School-Domestic. Jayla Hearp, a 5-foot-9 guard who previously attended Smithfield, added 11 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists and 1 block in 17 minutes. Tuana Coskun, a 6-foot guard who previously attended Rabun Gap-Nacoochee, finished with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block in 35 minutes. Tristan Rickenbacker, a 6-foot guard who previously attended Princess Anne High School, had 8 points and 6 rebounds in 18 minutes. Anica Skrivan, a 6-foot-3 center, paced Charleston Southern with 8 points, 7 rebounds and 1 block in 18 minutes. Ashleigh Battle, a 5-foot-4 guard who previously attended Blanche Ely High School, had 7 points, 5 rebounds and 3 assists in 38 minutes. Rylie Hite, a 5-foot-8 guard who previously attended Kings Fork High School, contributed 8 points, 5 rebounds and 2 assists in 20 minutes for the Pirates. Celina Vilcinskas, a 6-foot-9 center who previously attended Don Bosco College Zwijnaarde, added 10 points and 5 rebounds in 21 minutes for the Buccaneers. Selenay Tanik, a 6-foot-1 forward who previously attended Eral High School, had 7 points and 4 rebounds in 20 minutes, and Iva Medugorac, a 5-foot-9 guard who previously attended Life Preparatory Academy, added 5 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist in 20 minutes.

Charleston Southern’s upcoming schedule includes games against College of Charleston, Mercer, Pittsburgh, Davidson, Furman, South Carolina State, Wichita State, Wofford, Chattanooga and Georgia Southern. East Carolina’s next stretch includes Liberty, High Point, James Madison, UNC Wilmington, Delaware, California, Coastal Carolina, Maryland-Eastern Shore, UNC Asheville and Campbell.

Interstat’s game simulator had projected a final score of East Carolina 72, Charleston Southern 57. Interstat’s ELO system had projected East Carolina with a 96.3 percent probability to win.