ELON, N.C. - UNC Wilmington closed out the last 11 minutes of the first half with a suffocating 28-8 run and coasted down the stretch for an 86-56 victory over host Elon in a non-conference men's basketball game Sunday at Alumni Gymnasium.
The Seahawks won for the second straight game and improved to 3-4 overall heading into Saturday's Colonial Athletic Association opener against George Mason. The Phoenix dropped their third consecutive outing to fall to 2-5 on the season.
"We had a very good team effort tonight," said UNCW skipper Benny Moss. "Our guys worked together and dug in to get a stop on every possession. We had good ball pressure, especially early in the first half without giving up ball penetration."
UNCW built a commanding 40-18 advantage at intermission and never let up in cruising to its fifth straight win over the Phoenix. It was the largest margin in the 11-game series between the two clubs, eclipsing UNCW's 106-80 triumph on Feb. 19, 1976.
Five players scored in double figures for the second time in as many games for UNCW. Senior guard Montez Downey and junior center John Fields had 14 points apiece to lead the way, while junior forward Dominique Lacy and junior point guard Chad Tomko chipped in 12 points apiece and senior guard Johnny Wolf had 10.
Sophomore guard Terrance Birdette paced Elon with 13 points. Senior forward Adam Constantine and sophomore guard Josh Bonney chipped in 12 points each for the Phoenix, who shot just 33.3 percent from the field.
The Seahawks raced out to a 40-18 halftime lead and doused any Elon hopes of a comeback in the opening minutes of the second half by scoring the first seven points of the final period and then posted its final margin of 30 points on reserve guard Trevor Deloach's layup with 25 ticks left.
Elon got no closer than 21 points in the second half as UNCW shot 57.1 percent from the field on 20-for-35 attempts, including 4-for-6 behind the arc. The Seahawks finished up the night with a 53.7 percent aim and connected on 7-for-13 treys in the romp.
With the score knotted at 6-all in the first half, Tomko made a runner in the lane and Fields added a pair of buckets to give the Seahawks a 12-6 edge. Elon chopped the deficit to two points before the Seahawks went on another mini-spurt, this time an 8-0 run, capped by Wolf's long trey on the right side to give UNCW a 20-10 cushion with 10:23 left in the first period.
The Seahawks, who held Elon to 25 percent shooting and scoreless in the final 4:20 of the half, registered their largest lead of the period when Ahmad Grant made a steal and went coast-to-coast for a slam and a 40-18 halftime bulge with 18 seconds showing.
UNCW is idle until Saturday when the Patriots visit Trask Coliseum for a 5 p.m. tip-off. The game, the first of three consecutive home contests for the Seahawks, will be produced by ESPN Regional and aired on the Mid-Atlantic Sports Network.
GAME NOTES: UNCW has not lost to the Phoenix since a 106-80 defeat on Feb. 19, 1976, at Alumni Gym...The Seahawks played the second of four games against an in-state opponent...Freshman forward Will Ohuaregbe did not dress in uniform after missing two practices this week for personal reasons...Elon went 0-for-9 behind the arc in the first half...Elon starting point guard Josh Bonney, Elon's leading scorer at 15.6 ppg, picked up two fouls in the first 40 seconds and was held scoreless in the first half...Every player that dressed played for the Seahawks...UNCW had four dunks in the victory...The Seahawks have 18 assists against 12 turnovers...The two teams shot just 15 free throws in the game...UNCW had eight blocks...Elon enjoyed a 21-10 margin on the offensive glass.
