jjohnson@heraldsun.com; 419-6667
DURHAM -- East Chapel Hill entered Friday night's game undefeated, while Jordan had struggled through its first five games.
Yet it was the Falcons who were on top of their game, handing the Wildcats their first loss in a 67-43 drubbing.
Kristen Lyon led the way for Jordan with 28 points and is closing in on the 1,000-point plateau. She's at 977 early in her senior season.
"Kristen has been a pillar for us," Jordan coach Mike Mulligan said. "A lot of her scoring comes just from working hard, getting rebounds and from being efficient in the offensive end."
Lyon displayed her efficiency early in the game with the Falcons holding a 5-4 lead. She scored on three straight possessions that helped Jordan build a 17-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.
"We started off strong by getting points inside," Lyon said. "That got us into a rhythm and helped our outside shooting the rest of the game."
Jordan's defense stifled just about everything ECH wanted to do, as the Falcons used a mix of full-court pressure and zone traps to keep the Wildcats' off balance. East Chapel Hill, which was coming off a huge rivalry win over Chapel Hill earlier in the week, managed only one field goal in the first quarter and two in the second, as it fell behind 38-9.
"We were happy to get points with our pressure," Mulligan said. "We got opportunities off their turnovers."
Mulligan said he was a bit surprised at the margin his team was building, especially early in the game.
"All three games we played with them last season were close, and we were expecting another close one," Mulligan said.
Attiana O'Neal added 13 points, including a 3-pointer, for Jordan. East Chapel Hill was led by Lisa Couper with eight points.
Jordan (3-3, 1-0 PAC-6) needed to play with more intensity at the start, according the Lyon.
"It's been an issue all along," Lyon said of Jordan's first five games. "Even in the wins, we didn't play well in the first quarter. Tonight we played tough from the beginning. It was good to get off to a good start."
Jordan led by as many as 45 points early in the fourth quarter, but East Chapel Hill (4-1, 0-1) chipped away at the margin.
"It was good to get the first conference win," Mulligan said. "Every game in the PAC-6 is going to be tough. We're beginning the second phase of our season. Any win is a good win now because we've got three tough games coming up next week."
Lyon's pursuit of Danielle Duffy's Jordan career scoring record of 1,040 set in 2004 will continue Monday when the Falcons host Orange in a non-conference game.
Jordan 67, East Chapel Hill 43
EAST CHAPEL HILL -- Danielle Foushee 3, Hannah Elledge 7, Aileen Savino 5, Mary Jane Lyonnais 1, Caitlin Boreyko 2, Lisa Couper 8, Brittany Hartsfield 6, Lila Sciaky 7, Franny Chung 4.
JORDAN -- Bayley Coleman-Cox 7, Kristen Lyon 28, Samone Dunston 2, Kate ford, Chloe Smith 2, Attiana O'Neal 13, Chelsea Tyler 2, Mardre Morris 5, Megan Mukenge, Rachel McGirt 2.
East Chapel Hill 5 4 10 24--43
Jordan 17 21 20 9--67
3-point FG--East Chapel Hill 2 (Foushee, Savino). Jordan 1 (O'Neal). Rebounds--Jordan 28 (Lyon 6). Assists--Jordan 14 (Coleman-Cox 4).
Records--East Chapel Hill 4-1, 0-1 PAC-6. Jordan 3-3, 1-0.
