UNCW 70, NU 62: Seahawks get first win at Matthews
What Happened?
Both teams entered the games with matching 5-7 records, 1-1 in conference play, and were both looking to extend their respective winning streaks to three games. The Seahawks from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington had never won at Matthews Arena, and had a 13.0-point average margin of defeat in four tries at the historic building, including a 10-point loss on Northeastern’s senior night last February.
Junior co-captain Jonathan Lee drained each of his first three shots from long distance in the opening 4:04 of the contest, combining with a Reggie Spencer dunk for a quick 11-5 lead at the first break. The Seahawks bounced back quickly, with a double dose of K.K. Simmons triples in addition to Cedrick Williams’ three-point play sparking a run that would end in a 23-17 lead, 12 minutes into the game. The run-filled contest continued with a Reggie Spencer layup and threes from Alwayne Bigby and Joel Smith. By halftime, UNCW’s K.K. Simmons, a freshman, had already matched a career-high 11 points for the third time. Northeastern was able to control the pace of the opening frame, keeping it relatively slow and low-scoring as the period ended in a 30-all tie. The Huskies were also able to hold their opponent’s leading scorer, Adam Smith, to only 3 points.
Wilmington opened up the second half with more energy though, following two free throws by Joel Smith with a quick 11-2 run that would give them a lead they wouldn’t relinquish until about 15 minutes into the frame when Jon Lee hit another shot from downtown. Adam Smith and Keith Rendleman took over from there, scoring 14 of their team’s final 18 points.
With under a minute left and the Huskies trailing by five, Spencer pulled down a rebound off of a missed Rendleman jumper with a minute remaining. Quincy Ford ended up with the ball in his hands under the hoop, but Cedrick Williams stripped it away and Wilmington ended up with free throws to make it a likely four-point swing, resulting in a 7-point advantage that could have been just three had Ford been able to get the shot off and score. After an already-solid night at the line, the Seahawks made each of their eight free throws in the final minute to keep it at a three-possession game and send Northeastern to their first loss of 2012. Read more…
