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williams_cedrick
UNCWsports.com
84
Winner UNCW UNCW 1-1
72
UNCG UNCG 1-1
Winner
UNCW UNCW
1-1
84
Final
72
UNCG UNCG
1-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UNCW UNCW 39 45 84
UNCG UNCG 31 41 72

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Seahawks Give Keatts First Victory With 84-72 Conquest Of Spartans

GREENSBORO, North Carolina  – In a game that more often resembled a boxing match than a basketball game with its ebb and flow, UNCW answered UNCG on every occasion in an entertaining 84-72 victory Tuesday night at the Greensboro Coliseum to deliver Kevin Keatts his first win as the Seahawks' head coach.

The Seahawks evened their record at 1-1 in 2014-15 and continue their season-opening four-game road trip Saturday with a visit to VMI. The Spartans also stand 1-1 after winning their debut against NCAA Division II Chowan.

"For the first time in our young season, I thought we played for 40 minutes and that includes our scrimmages, exhibitions and the Old Dominion game," said Keatts, who took over the program in early April. "This was the first time we played a complete two halves.

"We got some good minutes out of some people and our freshmen played better tonight. I'm excited for the guys because they've worked extremely hard. We want to build on it and get some momentum going."

Redshirt junior guard Craig Ponder was the star of the night for the Seahawks, who shot a torrid 65.3 percent from the floor and 62.5 percent behind the arc on 10-of-16 treys. Ponder matched his career high with 26 points on 9-of-11 shooting and made all four of his three-point attempts to lead three players in double figures for the Seahawks.

Redshirt junior forward Dylan Sherwood contributed 16 points off the bench and senior guard Freddie Jackson made 6-of-8 shots en route to 13 points for UNCW.

Junior forward Kayel Locke paced three Spartans in double digits with 22 points and sank 12-of-16 free throws in his stat line. Sophomore guard Tevon Saddler and redshirt sophomore center R.J. White added 16 points apiece for UNCG, which shot 43.6 percent.

UNCW built a workmanlike 39-31 lead at halftime behind 11 points from Ponder and 10 from Sherwood and extended the margin to as many as 15 points in the second period before the Spartans finally succumbed.

The Seahawks appeared to be in control midway through the second half when Sherwood canned back-to-back triples to hand UNCW a 63-50 advantage with just under 12 minutes remaining.

But UNCG responded with an eight-point spurt and a triple from the left wing by Nicholas Paulos closed the gap to 63-58 at 10:55.

The pesky Spartans finally got the game down to one possession, 67-64, on a bucket by White at 6:53 before Ponder took things into his own hands
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The crafty playmaker from Bluefield, W.Va., reeled off seven unanswered points to get the margin back to 10 points, 74-64, and the Seahawks used an 8-0 mini-run in the final two minutes to win their second in a row over the Spartans.

UNCW trailed early, 9-4, but took the lead for good on a Sherwood basket at the 12:28 mark of the first half. The Seahawks never relinquished the lead the rest of the way.

The Seahawks return to the court on Saturday with a 7 p.m. test against VMI in Lexington, Va. UNCG plays Longwood in the Eastern Michigan Showcase on Friday in Ypsilanti, Mich
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GAME NOTES: The Seahawks had 19 turnovers in the contest…UNCG won the rebounding battle, 32-26…The series is now tied at 3-all…Ponder matched his career-high in scoring set on Dec. 1, 2012, at Marshall…Ponder had three more steals to hike his two-game total to seven thefts…UNCG went 0-for-9 from deep in the first half…There were only three lead changes in the contest…Four Seahawks had at least four rebounds…Ponder had a full stat line with 26 points, four rebounds, six assists, seven turnovers and three steals in 33 minutes…Coach Kevin Keatts played 10 of the 11 players who dressed…Malik Pugh (4 points) and Kevin Hickson (2 points) found the scoring column for the first time as Seahawks…The game started late due to administrative issues.
 
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