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toews_kai
Jeff Janowski/UNCW University Relations
78
Winner UNCW UNCW 2-3
64
Arkansas State ASU 1-3
Winner
UNCW UNCW
2-3
78
Final
64
Arkansas State ASU
1-3
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UNCW UNCW 29 49 78
Arkansas State ASU 32 32 64

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Joe Browning

Seahawks Trap Red Wolves, 78-64

ASHEVILLE, North Carolina – All-CAA power forward Devontae Cacok anchored a complete team effort with 17 points and 10 rebounds as four UNCW players reached double figures in a 78-64 men's basketball victory over Arkansas State in the inaugural VisitCurrituckOBX.com Battle In The Blue Ridge late Friday at the U.S. Cellular Center.
 
The Seahawks, 2-3, take on Gardner-Webb on Saturday in another 7:30 p.m. tip-off before concluding the trip with a 1 p.m. Sunday matinee vs. Eastern Illinois. The Bulldogs fell, 79-78, to Eastern Illinois in the tourney opener earlier Friday.
 
After trailing by three points at intermission, UNCW shot a blistering 62.1 percent in the second half to outscore A-State, 49-32, in the final period for its first come-from-behind win of the season after trailing at the break.
 
Cacok, from Riverdale, Ga., registered his fourth double-double in five outings and the 39th of his career with a big second half. Freshman playmaker Kai Toews added a career-high 13 points, junior guard Jaylen Fornes contributed 12 and redshirt junior guard Ty Taylor chipped in 10.
 
A-State had just two in double digits. Marquis Eaton led the way with 19 points and Canberk Kus came off the bench to score 14 for the Red Wolves. Leading scorer Ty Cockfield, who entered the game averaging 21.7 ppg, was held to six points on just 2-for-10 shooting.
 
The Seahawks trailed at halftime, 32-29, but came out firing on all cylinders in the final period. UNCW overtook A-State, 35-34, on a Fornes layup with just over 18 minutes left and then scored six points in six seconds to stun the Red Wolves and extend the margin to 40-34.
 
UNCW used a 17-7 run to break the game wide open and posted its largest lead of the game, 69-49, on a putback by Cacok, the nation's leading rebounder, with 3:08 left on the clock.
 
A-State trailed early before rallying behind Eaton's long distance accuracy to overcome the Seahawks and grab a 32-29 halftime advantage.
 
Eaton drained three triples over a four-minute stretch midway through the period and staked the Red Wolves to their first lead of the game, 14-11, with 12:18 left in the opening half. UNCW battled back to knot the score at 24-all as Cacok begin to exert himself inside, but A-State, which converted just 1 of his last 10 field goal attempts in the first half, held on a three-point edge at the break.
 
The Red Wolves outscored the Seahawks, 21-3, from behind the arc in the first half to offset just 33.3 percent shooting from the floor.
 
TOEWS TIME: Rookie point guard Kai Toews turned in his best performance of the season, establishing a new career high with 13 points on 5-for-7 shooting, while committing just one turnover in 27 minutes.
 
DUNK PARTY: Devontae Cacok, Jeantal Cylla and Sean O'Connell each had dunks in UNCW's big second-half spurt against the Sun Belt Conference school.
 
PAINT TOUCHES: UNCW dominated the inside against A-State, outscoring the Red Wolves, 44-26, in the paint.
 
EIGHT ISN'T ENOUGH: Six different Seahawks scored at least eight points as UNCW deployed a well-round attack in the first meeting between the two schools.
 
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS: Devontae Cacok has now recorded a double-double against 24 different teams in his sterling four-year career.
 
FRIENDLY FACES: The Arkansas State coaching staff featured former UNCW aide Casey Stanley and former standout guard Craig Ponder. Stanley is an assistant coach for Mike Balado's team and Ponder serves as a graduate assistant coach for the Red Wolves.
 
QUOTABLE: "It was a collective effort, both offensively and defensively. I thought we did a heckuva job in the second half. We got some turnovers, got out in transition and were able to score in transition. We just competed." – UNCW Head Coach C.B. McGrath
 
NEXT UP: UNCW returns to the U.S. Cellular Center on Saturday for a 7:30 tip-off against Gardner-Webb, another first-time opponent for the Seahawks.
 
VisitCurrituckOBX.com Battle In The Blue Ridge Results|Schedule

Friday, November 23, 2018
Eastern Illinois 79, Gardner-Webb 78
UNCW 78, Arkansas State 64

Saturday, November 24, 2018
Eastern Illinois vs. Arkansas State, 5:00 pm
UNCW vs. Gardner-Webb, 7:30 pm

Sunday, November 25, 2018
UNCW vs. Eastern Illinois, 1:00 pm
Gardner-Webb vs. Arkansas State, 3:30 pm


 
 
 
 


 
 
 
 
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