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UNC Wilmington Athletics

Scoreboard

Events/Results

jackson_freddienu
78
Winner Northeastern NU (22-11)
71
UNCW UNCW (18-13)
Winner
Northeastern NU
(22-11)
78
Final
71
UNCW UNCW
(18-13)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Northeastern NU 33 45 78
UNCW UNCW 30 41 71

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Joe Browning

Huskies Deny UNCW's CAA Title Hopes In Baltimore

Photo Gallery

BALTIMORE, Maryland – First-team All-CAA forward Scott Eatherton anchored five players in double figures and No. 3-seeded Northeastern advanced to its second Colonial Athletic Association Men's Basketball Championship finale in three seasons with a 78-71 victory over No. 2 UNCW on Sunday at Royal Farms Arena.
 
The Huskies, who avenged a pair of regular season losses to the Seahawks, raised their record to 22-11 overall and returned to the championship game after losing, 70-57, to James Madison in 2013.
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NU faces top-seeded William & Mary on Monday at 7 p.m. for the CAA's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament. The Tribe outlasted No. 5 Hofstra, 92-91, in double overtime in the first semifinal of the day.
 
The Seahawks stand 18-13 and will now wait to hear on its postseason possibilities in the coming week. UNCW fell just shy of reaching its 10th championship game after the Huskies snapped a three-game losing streak to the Seahawks.
 
"The effort was great, but we just came up a little short," said first-year UNCW Head Coach Kevin Keatts, the 2015 CAA Coach-of-the-Year. "If you looked at the stat sheet, you would think it was a tie game. We made some shots, but Northeastern hurt us on the backboard. They did a very good job of being more aggressive and getting rebounds and that was the difference in the game. They just got to the offensive glass more than we did."
 
Eatherton, an agile 6-9, 234-pound senior, poured in a game-high 21 points for the Huskies, who shot 48.2 percent from the floor and drained 17-of-21 at the free throw line. Four other players – David Walker, Caleb Donnelly, Devon Begley and Reggie Spencer – chipped in 11 points apiece for Northeastern, which lost to the Seahawks by seven and five points this season.
 
Freshman guard Jordon Talley paced the Seahawks with 18 points, including 15 in the second half. The All-CAA Rookie pick made 7-of-9 shots and added four assists in his second CAA Tournament appearance. Junior guard Craig Ponder added 17 points and senior guard Addison Spruill finished with 12.
 
No more than six points separated the two teams through the first 35 minutes before the Huskies, behind Eatherton, Begley and Donnelly, broke away in the late stages.
 
After UNCW had taken a 47-46 advantage on Freddie Jackson's free throw extended jumper with 12:30 on the clock, the Huskies snatched the lead back on a pair of free throws and a putback by Spencer that gave Northeastern a 50-47 edge at the 11:03 mark.
 
The Huskies finally increased the margin to eight points, 67-59, when Eatherton scored over Cedrick Williams and converted a free throw at 3:06. Williams fouled out on the play and wound up with eight points and seven rebounds.
 
The Seahawks closed the gap to three points, 70-67, on Ponder's long triple at 1:29, but Donnelly swished a trey of his own and later tacked on two free throws to get the difference back to eight points with 40 seconds on the clock.
 
UNCW grabbed control early in the contest by scoring the first six points before NU regrouped to take a 33-30 edge at intermission.
 
A pair of Jackson triples from the top of the key gave the Seahawks an 18-13 margin at the 10-minute mark before the Huskies closed out the first half strong. UNCW was still on top, 30-25, when Dylan Sherwood drained a trey at 2:30, but the Huskies finished the opening period with a flurry, scoring the final eight points of the stanza for a three-point advantage at halftime.
 
GAME NOTES: The Huskies lead the all-time series, 9-8…UNCW trailed at halftime for the 10th time this season…David Walker had a full stat line with 11 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 40 minutes for the Huskies…The Huskies ruled the boards, 34-23, including a 12-5 advantage on the offensive glass…The Seahawks shot 60 percent in the second half and finished at 48.1 percent…Craig Ponder played 39 minutes for the Seahawks…There were five ties and nine lead changes…Attendance was 3,703.



 
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