2014 Seahawks Hampton Inn Christmas Invitational Tournament Central Page
WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Senior guard
Kelva Atkins (Granville Central H.S./Stem, N.C.) scored a game-high 19 points and added nine rebounds as UNCW (3-5) ended a five-game losing streak with a 61-48 non-conference victory over East Tennessee State (7-5) in front of a sellout crowd of 5,141 fans at Trask Coliseum on Friday afternoon.
While the Seahawks earned their first win since an 89-80 victory over Campbell on Nov. 19, the Buccaneers had their four-game winning streak snapped.
After falling behind by a 5-3 margin in the opening three minutes of the game, the Seahawks scored 15 of the next 18 points to take a commanding 18-8 lead with 10:15 left on an Atkins lay-up. The Buccaneers narrowed the margin to 20-16 with 7:50 remaining in the opening stanza before UNCW used a 7-2 spurt to extend the advantage to 27-18.
The Buccaneers scored 10 of the final 14 points to trim the deficit to 31-28 at the intermission.
Led by seven points from Atkins, the Seahawks scored 16 of the first 24 points to open the second half and increase their lead to 48-36 with 10:24 remaining in the second half. From there, the Seahawks never led by fewer than 10 points en route to the victory.
One of three UNCW players to score in double figures, Atkins made 7 of 21 shots from the floor to lead the Seahawks. Junior guard
Shatia Cole (Myrtle Beach H.S./Myrtle Beach, S.C.) and sophomore guard
Amber Reeves (North Cobb H.S./Marietta, Ga.) each added 10 points for the Seahawks, who were playing their fifth consecutive home game.
Senior forward
Serena Clark (Stone Mountain, Ga.) led ETSU with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for her fourth "double double" of the season. Senior forward
Destiny Mitchell (Randolph Clay H.S./Bluffton, Ga.) contributed eight points with 13 rebounds.
Led by 11 rebounds from sophomore forward
Ryan Flowers (Millbrook H.S./Hickory, N.C.), the Seahawks outrebounded ETSU by a 51-40 margin.
The Seahawks will finish their six-game homestand on Saturday afternoon by hosting Charleston Southern in the final game of the Seahawks Hampton Inn Christmas Invitational. Opening tip-off between the Seahawks and the Buccaneers is slated for 2:00 p.m. or 35 minutes after the conclusion of the East Tennessee State-Jacksonville State game, which will begin at 12:00 p.m.
