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Payne Hits Milestone As Pirates Beat Cincinnati In American Championship Opener

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CHAMP CENTRAL

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – East Carolina guard Jada Payne scored a game-high 26 points, including the 2,000th of her career, to help the No. 8-seeded Pirates fend off a late push from No. 9-seeded Cincinnati in a 70-61 win in the opening round of the 2016 American Athletic Conference Championship.

In the 3rd quarter @ECUWomensHoops senior Jada Payne scored her 2,000th career point pic.twitter.com/fzDozXBHY5

The Pirates (13-18) advance to play top-seeded UConn in the quarterfinal round on Saturday at 2 p.