Joyner has key plays, ECU women headed to NCAA tourney

FORT WORTH, Texas (AP) — Freshman Amiya Joyner converted the go-ahead three-point play with 1:30 to play and blocked a potential winning basket with 3.2 seconds left to give East Carolina a 46-44 win over Houston in the American Athletic Conference title game and the Pirates’ third NCAA Tournament berth. It was quite a struggle for two defensive minded teams. Houston  shot 30% despite missing all 12 3-point attempts while the Pirates shot 28%. East Carolina, picked by coaches to finish last in the AAC, got off to a miserable start, missing their first 10 shots and going 1 of 17 in the first quarter, although Houston only led 11-2. After the Pirates got back in the game with a 12-2 run and took a 28-27 lead with 3:16 in the third period, there were six ties and seven lead changes.