(BCSNN) — Jordan Riley scored a game-high 22 points and grabbed eight rebounds to lead East Carolina to a 92–89 win over Georgia Southern in the Pirates’ season opener Tuesday night at Minges Coliseum.

Riley also registered a career-high six steals for ECU (1–0), which extended its season-opening win streak to 26 games. Giovanni Emejuru added 17 points and nine rebounds in his debut, while Reid Cason had a career night with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting and five boards. Isaiah Mbeng chipped in nine points and a career-best eight assists.

Alden Applewhite led Georgia Southern (0–1) with 21 points.

The Pirates opened the game with a quick 5–0 lead, but Georgia Southern responded and took its first lead on a layup by Shainen Carter at the 14:17 mark. Neither team led by more than three for the remainder of the half until ECU closed with a 5–0 spurt to take a 44–42 lead into the break.

ECU controlled the early stages of the second half, building a 60–50 lead on a steal and emphatic dunk by Riley that energized the home crowd. The Eagles rallied to retake the lead midway through the half, going up by as many as four on a second-chance basket by Nakavieon White.

In a back-and-forth final stretch that featured coach’s challenges and clutch free throws, the Pirates held off Georgia Southern with key makes from Emejuru, Mbeng, and Eli DeLaurier.

Up next: East Carolina travels to Richmond to face the Spiders on Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed on ESPN+

This article originally appeared in its entirety as a feature on BCSNN.