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UNC Wilmington Athletics

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Events/Results

cacok_finale
John Crouch
79
Hofstra M-283
87
Winner UNCW M-460
Hofstra M-283
79
Final
87
UNCW M-460
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Hofstra M-283 32 47 79
UNCW M-460 34 53 87

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Joe Browning

Seahawks Deliver Huge Win For Seniors

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – From start to finish, Saturday night's stunner over first place Hofstra was the perfect script, especially for record-setting senior standout Devontae Cacok.
 
Cacok punctuated an entertaining season finale victory with a dunk in the final seconds as UNCW upset the CAA frontrunners, 87-79, before 4,250 fans on "Senior Night" at Trask Coliseum.
 
The Seahawks snapped a six-game losing streak and now stand 9-19 overall and 5-10 in the CAA. The Pride owns a 22-5 record in all games and still sits atop the CAA with a 12-2 mark.
 
Cacok anchored five players in double figures with 18 points and 16 rebounds, notching his NCAA-leading 20 double-double of the season and 55th of his career. He also moved into fifth place on UNCW's all-time scoring list with 1,519 points in 123 career appearances.
 
Sophomore guard Ty Gadsden chipped in 17 points, including a perfect 9-of-9 at the free throw line, junior forward Jeantal Cylla collected 13 points, freshman guard Jaylen Sims scored 12 and rookie playmaker Kai Toews contributed 10 points with 11 assists.
 
Senior guard Justin Wright-Foreman, the NCAA's third leading scorer, poured in 30 points for the Pride, which had won 19 of their last 20 games coming into the contest. Junior guard Eli Pemberton added 22 points and senior point guard Desure Buie finished with 15 points and four assists.
 
The Seahawks jumped ahead early, forged out to a 34-32 lead at halftime and led by as many as seven points late in the second half before closing out the impressive nine-point win.
 
UNCW inched out front, 67-62, with just over six minutes remaining when Cylla dropped in the first of two free throws, but the Pride roared back to keep the game close down the stretch with laser-like free throw shooting. Hofstra converted 25-of-30 at the charity stripe and UNCW sank 24-of-28 free throws.
 
The Seahawks were clinging to a 74-71 advantage when Toews drained a floater and Shawn O'Connell completed a layup to get the score to 78-71 at the 1:10 mark. The Seahawks went 8-for-8 at the free throw line in the final 55 seconds and Cacok flushed the ball with two seconds on the clock to send the Seahawk faithful into a frenzy and nail down the club's fifth home win of the campaign.
 
Four of UNCW's five seniors started the game (Jacque Brown was out with an injury) and Toews joined the quartet in getting the Seahawks off to a great start. UNCW led by as many 11 points in the opening period before the Pride rallied to narrow the deficit to 34-32 at the break.
 
GAME NOTES
 
SERIES UPDATE: The Seahawks earned a split in the regular season series and improved to 22-20 lifetime against Hofstra, including 10-8 at Trask Coliseum. The Pride has not won in Wilmington since Feb. 25, 2016.
 
SOUND SMART WITH YOUR FRIENDS: The Seahawks buried 21-of-25 free throws in the second half after shooting just three free throws in the first period.
 
DOUBLE YOUR PLEASURE: Cacok and Toews each collected double-doubles, marking the seventh time the feat has occurred this season.
 
KEY MOMENT: After Pemberton fired in a three-pointer on the right wing with 31 seconds left to get the Pride within one possession, 82-79, Gadsden calmly dropped in a pair of free throws with 29 seconds to go to extend the difference back to 84-79.
 
BIG BENCH: UNCW's reserves, albeit four starters due to senior festivities, outscored their counterparts from Hofstra by a whopping 51-0 margin.
 
QUOTABLE: "It was a heckuva basketball game. It couldn't have been a more fitting end to Devontae's career in Trask. The seniors started it off great for us. In the end, we made the plays we had to make to win the game. We didn't give in when they went on their spurts like we have in the second half this year. We kept fighting back."– UNCW Head Coach C.B. McGrath
 
NEXT UP: UNCW next embarks on a three-game road trip to close out the regular season, beginning with a 7 p.m. test next Thursday, Feb. 21, at Elon.




 
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