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UNC Wilmington Athletics

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fornes_jaylen
J.R. Agnew
83
UNCW UNCW 9-20 (6-11 CAA)
96
Winner William & Mary WM 17-11 (10-7 CAA)
UNCW UNCW
9-20 (6-11 CAA)
83
Final
96
William & Mary WM
17-11 (10-7 CAA)
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UNCW UNCW 47 36 83
William & Mary WM 38 58 96

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Joe Browning

Tribe Rallies Past Seahawks, 96-83

UNCW-W&M Box Score (PDF)

WILLIAMSBURG, Virginia – Sophomore forward Justin Pierce pumped in 15 of his team-high 22 points in the second half, including 11 consecutive points in a pivotal stretch, to help William & Mary rally past UNCW, 96-83, in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball action Thursday night at Kaplan Arena.
 
The Tribe, which erased a nine-point halftime deficit to sweep the regular season series, improved to 17-11 overall and 10-7 in the CAA heading into its season finale on Saturday at home against league frontrunner Charleston.
 
The Seahawks fell to 9-20 overall and 6-11 in the circuit following their second straight loss. UNCW wraps up the regular season with a Saturday matinee at Drexel in a 4 p.m. tip-off at the Daskalakis Center in Philadelphia.
 
"They made some nice adjustments and made more shots in the second half," said UNCW Head Coach C.B. McGrath. "We came out a little flat for some reason in the second half. I'm disappointed that we came out of halftime with that kind of effort knowing that William & Mary can score nine points in three possessions because they're a great three-point shooting team.
 
"You always have to be ready on defense and we were not early in the second half. You give them some confidence and give them some rhythm, they're tough to stop. They just rode that wave the rest of the game and we couldn't do anything to get them out of it."
 
In a game that featured 20 lead changes and five ties, the slippery Pierce anchored four Tribe starters in double figures with his 22 points on 7-of-12 from the floor. Senior guard Connor Burchfield added 20 points, sophomore forward Nathan Knight scored 18 and junior guard Matt Milon had 14.
 
Sophomore guard Jaylen Fornes poured in a career-high 27 points for the Seahawks, eclipsing his previous high of 24 points vs. Northeastern on Jan. 13. Junior forward Devontae Cacok racked up his 21st double-double of the season with 18 points and 12 rebounds, senior playmaker Jordon Talley chipped in 18 points and redshirt sophomore guard Ty Taylor wound up with 14.
 
The Seahawks sprinted out to a 47-38 lead at halftime, but W&M erased that deficit over the first 4:14 of the second half and took control late as Pierce and the rest of the Tribe caught fire. W&M, the nation's top three-point shooting club, made 56.7 percent over the final 20 minutes and canned 50 percent behind the arc.
Behind 47-38 at the break, W&M scored the first 11 points of the second half and snatched a 49-47 edge on Burchfield's three-point along the right wing with 17:22 remaining.
 
UNCW responded to grab the lead back, 54-53, before Pierce stepped up. The Glen Ellyn, Ill., product drained a trio of three-pointers wrapped around a slam dunk to spark the Tribe. His third trey lifted W&M to a 64-59 advantage with 11:46 left to play.
 
The Seahawks were still in the thick of things, however, and trailed just 77-75 at the seven-minute mark when Pierce ignited W&M again, keying an 8-0 run to give the Tribe some breathing room. A three-pointer from the left corner by Milon capped the rally as W&M pushed the lead to double digits, 85-75, with 6:04 on the clock.
 
The Seahawks sliced the margin back to eight points when Cacok converted a bonus situation at the free throw line, but Paul Rowley answered with another three-pointer from the left corner and the Tribe closed out its 10th conference win of the campaign.
 
UNCW bolted out to a 47-38 halftime advantage behind the play of Fornes, Taylor and Cacok. The threesome combined for 36 of the team's 47 points as UNCW led by as many as nine points in the opening half.
 
W&M jumped out to a five-point edge, 12-7, with 16:05 left in the first half on a Pierce triple on the left wing before the Seahawks battled back in a half that saw 13 lead changes.
 
The Tribe still led, 34-32, with four minutes left in the period until the Seahawks reeled off nine unanswered points. Fornes started the rally with a trifecta on the left side and a free throw by Cacok gave UNCW a 41-34 edge with 2:25 on the clock.
 
After a free throw by Pierce, Fornes staked the Seahawks to their largest lead of the half with a long trifecta opposite the Tribe bench and the lead ballooned to 44-35 with 1:28 left in the first half.
 
Both teams shot 50 percent in the first half, but the Seahawks built a 22-12 advantage on the boards as Cacok, the nation's leading rebounder, pulled down seven rebounds and Talley grabbed six caroms.
 
GAME NOTES: Seahawks still lead the all-time series, 43-29…William & Mary is 7-5 vs. UNCW at Kaplan Arena…W&M outscored UNCW in the second half, 58-36...Each team placed four starters in double figures…W&M has won 10 of the last 13 contests between the two teams...The Tribe is 10-3 at home this season….David Cohn, W&M's single season and career assist leader, dished out 11 dimes…W&M's Matt Milon scored 14 points after totaling just two points in the first meeting between the two teams…W&M outscored UNCW, 23-11, at the charity stripe…The Seahawks lost to the Tribe in the first meeting between the two teams, 84-81, on Jan. 27 in Wilmington.



 
 
 
 
 
 
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