Seahawks down the Dukes in men’s basketball

Click the icon above for game highlights

HARRISONBURG, VA (AP) — Freddie Jackson scored 19 of his 26 points in the first half as UNC Wilmington beat James Madison 77-65 on Wednesday night.

It was UNCW’s first win in Harrisonburg since 2006.

Craig Ponder and Addison Spruill added 18 points apiece for UNCW (13-9, 8-3 Colonial Athletic Association). Jackson was 7 of 11 from the field in the first half and 9 of 15 overall.

The Seahawks hit 9 of 15 3-pointers (60 percent), led by Jackson’s four makes and Ponder’s three.

UNCW scored 18 of its 37 first-half points off of 10 JMU turnovers and led by 14 points after closing the half on a 14-3 run.

Ron Curry scored 21 points for James Madison (13-11, 6-5), his fourth 20-plus point game this season. He was 5 of 12 from the field and 9 of 11 from the free throw line. Tom Vodanovich had 12 points and Joey McLean 11.

(Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

————–

HARRISONBURG, VA (UNCW) — Senior guard Freddie Jackson got the UNCW men’s basketball team off to a strong start and the rest of the Seahawks followed suit in a key 77-65 Colonial Athletic Association victory over the Dukes on Wednesday night at the JMU Convocation Center.

The rejuvenated Seahawks grabbed a split of their two-game road trip and improved to 13-9 overall and 8-3 in the CAA. UNCW also moved within a half game of first place in the CAA with William & Mary, which plays at the College of Charleston on Thursday night. JMU dipped to 13-11 and 6-5.

Jackson, a silky-smooth 6-4, 185-pounder out of Wilmington, has flourished in Kevin Keatts’ new system and it was never more evident than Wednesday. The former New Hanover High School star led all scorers with 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting and added six rebounds, three assists and two steals.

Senior guard Addison Spruill and redshirt junior guard Craig Ponder added 18 points apiece for the Seahawks, who hiked their road record to 6-8 this season, including 4-2 in conference action.

Junior guard Ron Curry placed three Dukes in double figures with 21 points, while sophomore forward Tom Vodanovich scored 12 and freshman guard Joey McLean contributed 10.

“We’re maturing as a team,” said Keatts, who has turned the Seahawks into the surprise team in the CAA. “Each win helps us get stronger. These guys feel like when the game’s is close we have a chance to win.”

The Seahawks jumped on Jackson’s back in the first half to build a 14-point lead and then rode the play of Ponder, Spruill and a strong supporting cast to win at the JMU Convocation Center for the first time since an 83-46 thrashing on Jan. 26, 2006.

“Freddie just let the game come to him tonight,” Keatts said of Jackson, who was held to just one point in Saturday’s loss at Drexel. “He took the ball to the hole and did a good job of rebounding the basketball.”

After Jackson’s 19-point explosion staked the Seahawks to a 37-23 margin at intermission, the Dukes opened the second period with a 9-2 run to close the gap to 39-32 on a putback in traffic by McLean with 15:45 remaining.

But the elusive Ponder drained a three-pointer to kick start a string of six straight points to get the margin back to 46-32 and a bucket by Jackson with 9:47 on the clock gave the Seahawks their largest lead of the game at 61-42.

The Dukes finally got the deficit under double digits, 67-58, on a hook shot by Jovanovich at 4:58, but the Seahawks responded with a five-point spurt and then converted 7-of-8 free throws the rest of the way to ice the game. UNCW wound up connecting on 14-of-17 free throws in the second half to nail down the road win.

The hot-shooting Jackson sizzled early, scoring 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting in the first 20 minutes, as UNCW attacked JMU’s zone defenses with precision.

Jackson scored 10 consecutive points in the opening minutes and his triple from the left corner staked the Seahawks to a 16-5 cushion with just over 12 minutes left in the first half.

JMU answered, however, with a 15-5 spurt and a triple by Winston Grays on the right side sliced the deficit to 23-20 at 4:56.

But UNCW closed out the half by outscoring JMU, 14-3, over the final five minutes to carry a 14-point bulge into the break. The Seahawks scored 18 of their 37 first-half points off 10 JMU turnovers to take control.

UNCW enjoyed a sparkling floor game, committing a season-low six turnovers against JMU’s variety of zone defenses. On the defensive end, the Seahawks held JMU sophomore marksman Jackson Kent, who ranks third in the CAA in three-point field goal percentage without a trey in five attempts from deep.

The Seahawks return home on Saturday to battle CAA frontrunner William & Mary at 8 p.m. in the first of two straight games at Trask Coliseum. The Dukes open a three-game road trip at Towson on Saturday, taking on the Tigers at 2 p.m. in SECU Arena.

GAME NOTES: The Seahawks grabbed a 34-33 advantage in the longtime series with the Dukes… Ponder scored 11 of his 18 points in the second half and Spruill collected 14 of his 18 points after the break…Spruill also led the team in assists with four dimes…JMU had just seven assists on 20 baskets…UNCW wound up 9-of-15 from deep for 60 percent…Jackson played all 40 minutes in the contest…The Seahawks outrebounded the Dukes, 36-34…UNCW had 15 assists on 25 buckets…JMU led for just 1:04 in the contest…The Seahawks had 12 offensive rebounds…The two teams meet again in the home finale on “Senior Night” for the Seahawks on Feb. 25 at Trask Coliseum.

——————–

WILMINGTON, NC (CFCC RELEASE) —
Women’s basketball
Cape Fear 63 Louisburg College 59
Cape Fear Community College opened a six-game home stand to start the month of February on Wednesday night and the Sea Devils earned a 63-59 victory over Louisburg College.
Monica Alexander led the way with 21 points and Jasmine Brown chipped in with 14 for Cape Fear, who improved to 13-3 in conference and 20-5 overall.
The Sea Devils have won nine of their last 10 heading Saturday’s home game against Patrick Henry Community College.