WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Redshirt senior guard GiGi Smith led three UNCW players in double figures with a game-high 20 points as the Seahawks posted a 72-60 victory over Lenoir-Rhyne in exhibition women's basketball action at Trask Coliseum on Saturday afternoon.
 
Smith, who also paced the Seahawks by playing 38 minutes, made 8-of-18 shots from the floor and added four rebounds with three assists.
 
Senior guard Lacey Suggs chipped in 19 points with six rebounds and four steals. She made 7-of-9 shots from the floor and was 5-of-8 at the free throw line.
 
Junior forward Micah Hoggatt came off the bench to contribute 10 points with a team-high seven rebounds. The Conyers, Ga., product also produced three assists with three steals.
 
Lenoir-Rhyne was led by senior forward Karlie Bearden's eight points and eight rebounds.
 
Key Moment: UNCW used a 16-3 run over a four-minute span to turn a 25-22 deficit into a 38-28 lead with 7:09 remaining in the third quarter. Smith tallied eight of her 20 points during the run while senior Ahyiona Vason scored four of her six points.
 
Game Notes:

• UNCW improved to 19-13 all-time in exhibition contests and extended its exhibition win streak to five straight games … It was the first-ever meeting between the Seahawks and the Bears in exhibition play.
• The Seahawks scored 48 of their 72 points in the paint against Lenoir-Rhyne.
• UNCW outrebounded Lenoir-Rhyne by a 37-31 margin and forced the Bears to make 22 turnovers.
• The Seahawks made 53.8 percent of their field goal attempts in the second half after going 12-for-32 in the opening 20 minutes.
• Suggs scored 15 of her 19 points after the intermission, going 5-for-6 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 at the foul line.

Up Next: The Seahawks open the regular season on Tuesday, Nov. 5, when they travel to Wake Forest for a 7 p.m. non-conference game against the Demon Deacons.   

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