WILMINGTON, North Carolina – If UNCW senior guard
Kelva Atkins (Granville Central H.S./Stem, N.C.) had been playing in the video game "NBA Jam" against Northeastern on Sunday, the voice inside the game might have described her as "on fire."
It was that type of afternoon for Atkins as the Colonial Athletic Association's second-leading scorer tallied a game-high 30 points while leading the Seahawks to an 84-78 league victory over Northeastern at Trask Coliseum on Sunday afternoon.
The Seahawks, who won their second game in a row following a three-game losing streak, improved to 10-14 overall and 6-7 in the CAA while climbing into sixth place in the league standings. Meanwhile, the Huskies suffered their eighth consecutive defeat and fall to 4-19 overall with a 1-12 league record.
Led by Atkins, the Seahawks were able to end a three-game skid in the series against Northeastern and avenge a 73-64 setback in Boston on Jan. 16.
After falling behind by a 56-49 margin with 15:34 remaining in the second half, the Seahawks scored nine consecutive points to claim a 58-56 edge with 12:31 left. The Huskies battled to regain a one-point edge with 9:49 on a lay-up by junior forward
Samantha DeFreese (Berkshire School/Bergenfield, N.J.), but UNCW answered by scoring 9 of the next 12 points to take a 70-65 advantage with 7:10 remaining.
The Huskies scored five points in a 34-second span to even the score at 70-70 with 5:14 to play, but the Seahawks used a 10-4 spurt for an 80-74 lead they did not relinquish with 1:02 left on a pair of Atkins free throws.
In a high-scoring first half that featured four ties and two lead changes, Northeastern used a 17-for-27 shooting performance from the field to pull away for a 44-38 advantage at the intermission. The Huskies led by as many as 10 points in the opening stanza as senior guard
Amencie Mercier (Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada) scored 13 of her team-high 20 points in the first half.
One of three Seahawks to score in double figures, Atkins made 10 of 18 shots from the floor, including a career-high 6-for-8 effort from three-point range, while adding four assists, four steals and three rebounds. Sophomore guard
Naqaiyyah Teague (Malcolm X. Shabazz H.S./Newark, N.J.) added 18 points after a 6-for-10 effort from the field while sophomore guard
Brie Mobley (Winter Haven H.S./Winter Haven, Fla.) added 13 points with five assists.
Mercier, who played all 40 minutes in the loss for Northeastern, was one of five Huskies to score in double figures. Freshman forward
Maureen Taggart (Tilton Rams H.S./Wallingford, Vt.) posted 13 points, including a 4-for-5 effort from long range, while junior guard
Kazzidy Stewart (St. John's College H.S./Lanham, Md.) and sophomore center
Francesca Sally (Denver East H.S./Denver, Colo.) each chipped in 11 points. DeFreese posted 10 points with a team-high six rebounds.
The Seahawks shot 55.2 percent from the field in the win over Northeastern, marking a season high. They also connected on a season-high nine three-point field goal attempts, going 9-for-13 from long range.
UNCW will remain home on Thursday evening to welcome defending CAA champion James Madison to Trask Coliseum for a 7:00 p.m. match-up against the Dukes. JMU, which is a perfect 13-0 in league play this year, handed the Seahawks a 74-57 defeat in Harrisonburg on Jan. 6.
