WASHINGTON, D.C. – Buoyed by 17 points from Donovan Newby and three other Seahawks in double figures, UNCW knocked off Delaware 76-72 in the finals of the 2025 Jersey Mike's Coastal Athletic Association Men's Basketball Championship on Tuesday at CareFirst Arena.

The Seahawks (27-7) advance to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2017 with the program's league-record seventh title. The Blue Hens concluded their season with a record of 16-20 following a shocking run to the conference finals.

Joining Newby in double-digit scoring were Noah Ross with 14 and Bo Montgomery and Khamari McGriff added 13 and 10 points, respectively. Newby, Ross and McGriff were named to the CAA All-Tournament team with Newby capturing CAA Tournament MVP honors.

Delaware wiped out a seven-point halftime deficit to grab the lead 4:30 into the second half, 41-40. The Blue Hens led as late as 8:05 left in the game before a layup from McGriff gave UNCW a 59-58 lead at the 7:44 mark.

UNCW pushed its lead to five points on several occasions, including 74-69 with 13 seconds remaining on a pair of made free throws by Newby.

UD's Izaiah Pasha led all scorers with 21 points and Niels Lane chipped in 20.

The Seahawks were keyed by making 24-of-29 free throw attempts.