GREENVILLE, N.C. – Virginia Commonwealth University senior forward D'Andra Moss scored 17 of her game-high 27 points in the second half but the Rams' couldn't overcome a 20-point deficit as East Carolina held on to a 88-85 victory Wednesday evening at Minges Coliseum.

"Our kids really showed a lot of character tonight," VCU Head Coach Beth Cunningham said.  "We had our backs against the wall when we were down by 20 points with less than 10 minutes left.  But our kids just kept fighting and found a way to get back in it.  We had a chance to not only tie, but to actually win the game there at the end."

East Carolina (7-0) went up by 20 on a layup with 9:32 to go, but VCU used a 13-3 run spanning three minutes to cut the Lady Pirates' lead in half.  ECU maintained a 10-point lead and took an 83-73 advantage with 4:13 showing before VCU scored nine of the next 10 points to pull within one on a jumper by sophomore Courtney Hurt with 1:30 to go.

Each team traded baskets on the next two possessions, which kept the Rams within a point with 51 seconds remaining. 

Following a timeout, junior Ebony Patterson was charged with an intentional foul on an inbounds play before ECU's Allison Spivey hit a pair of free throws to extend the Lady Pirates lead to 88-85 with 11 seconds to go.  VCU had a chance to tie the game with a three-pointer, but couldn't find an open player as time expired.

"We just have to play with that sense of urgency for 40 minutes," Cunningham said of the Rams' rally.  "This is a game that we can learn a lot from.  East Carolina is a quality team and they are going to have a really good season.  We knew coming in here that this would be a tough environment to play in."  

VCU (3-1) led by as many as eight points in the first half and held a 29-21 advantage with 9:31 to go in the opening period.  However, East Carolina chipped away and tied the score at 35-35 with 57 seconds remaining, before closing the half on a 9-1 run to take a 44-36 lead into the locker room.

Senior guard Kita Waller came off the bench and saw her first action of the season, registering 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting from behind the arc.   Waller suffered a knee injury during preseason workouts, which forced her to miss the first three games.  Meanwhile, Patterson added 14 points for VCU, while senior La'Tavia Rorie chipped in 12 points.  Sophomore Jennifer Lane finished with six points and seven assists for the Rams.

East Carolina had five players score in double figures, led by Spivey's 17 points.  Ashley Clarke contributed a double-double with 13 points and 10 assists, while Crystal Wilson added 13 points off the bench for the Lady Pirates.  Jean Best added 12 points and four blocks, and Kim Gay finished with 10 points.

"We can take a lot of positive things away from tonight, but also a lot of things that we need to work on," said Cunningham.  "We have another big opportunity on Sunday [against Richmond], so hopefully we can get back on track."

VCU returns to the Verizon Wireless Arena on Sunday, Dec. 6 for a 2 p.m., matchup against cross-town rival University of Richmond.