WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Redshirt senior guard
Shrita Parker scored a game-high 17 points and redshirt junior guard
GiGi Smith nearly notched her second straight double-double as UNCW opened Colonial Athletic Association play with a 71-49 victory over the College of Charleston in front of a "Seahawks Tomorrow" crowd of 4,511 at Trask Coliseum on Friday afternoon.
The Seahawks, who won their third consecutive game, ran their record to 8-4 overall and 1-0 in the league. Charleston, meanwhile, saw its record fall to 4-8 overall and 0-1 in the CAA after losing its third game in a row.
Parker paced four Seahawks in double figures by making 6-of-12 shots from the field while going 5-for-9 from the foul line. Smith added 13 points with a game-high nine rebounds to go along with five assists and three steals.
Junior guard
Lacey Suggs chipped in 16 points with a season-high seven rebounds while senior center
Chinyere Bell completed the quartet by tallying a season-high 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe.
Freshman forward Arynn Eady scored nine points to lead the Cougars in the loss.
Key Moment: The Seahawks used a 22-4 run over a 12-minute span to take a 43-25 lead they did not relinquish. UNCW held Charleston to just 2-of-12 shooting from the field during the spurt while forcing the Cougars into eight turnovers.
Up Next: UNCW makes its first conference road trip of the season next weekend with visits to William & Mary and defending CAA champion Elon.
