Seahawks soar to 3-1 in CAA with win over Drexel

WILMINGTON, NC (UNCW) – Senior guard Freddie Jackson knocked down 19 points and backcourt mate Addison Spruill posted his second career double-double to fuel the UNCW men’s basketball team to its third straight victory with a 64-57 decision over Drexel in Colonial Athletic Association action Saturday night at Trask Coliseum.

The Seahawks raised their record to 8-7 overall and 3-1 in the CAA with the triumph before 3,643 fans. The Dragons fell to 3-12 and 1-3.

Jackson converted 5-of-9 field goals and added 8-of-12 at the charity stripe in 40 minutes on the floor for the Seahawks. Spruill wound up with 12 points and 11 rebounds for his second double-double following 17 points and 10 rebounds earlier this season at Davidson.

UNCW’s win overshadowed a strong performance by Drexel junior guard Damien Lee, who made 10-of-15 shots and 12-of-15 at the free throw line en route to a game-high 32 points. He scored half of Drexel’s points and tied for the 11th highest point total since Trask Coliseum opened on Nov. 26, 1977.

It also marked the second straight year a Drexel player reached the 30-point plateau in Wilmington after Drexel’s Frantz Massenat poured in 30 markers last January.

The Seahawks shot 47.8 percent and rode an 11-point effort by Jackson to build a 31-26 advantage before shooting 57.9 percent after the break and leading by as many as 12 points on three occasions midway through the second half.

After freshman guard Rashaan London hit the second of two free throws with 14:19 remaining, Jackson drained a free throw to give the Seahawks a 36-30 edge. Back-to-back buckets by Cedrick Williams and Jackson extended the score to 44-34 at 9:40.

The first 12-point cushion came at 7:43 when Williams scored inside to put the Seahawks out front, 48-36. Jackson later matched that cushion with a layup at 5:50 that gave UNCW a 52-40 advantage. The Dragons got no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

UNCW built an early 10-4 lead behind the play of sophomore center C.J. Gettys, who had five points and three rebounds in the first 5:26 of the contest. Jackson flipped in the second of two free throws to give the Seahawks a six-point edge with 12:13 left in the first period.

The Dragons battled back, however, to tie the score at 10-all on Lee’s conventional three-point play at 10:37 and took their first lead of the contest, 12-10, on a pair of free throws by Lee, who scored 12 of Drexel’s first 14 points of the game.

Drexel still led, 18-16, when the Seahawks pieced together a seven-point spurt – all by Jackson – to regain control. Jackson’s second straight layup at 4:12 gave the Seahawks a 23-18 cushion.

The Seahawks head back on the road for their next three games, beginning Wednesday with a 7 p.m. matchup at William & Mary. The Dragons return to Philadelphia to entertain James Madison Wednesday at 7 p.m.

GAME NOTES: The Seahawks used the same starting lineup for the fourth consecutive game…C.J. Gettys and Cedrick Williams each picked up two fouls in the first 10 minutes of the game…UNCW snapped a five-game losing streak to Drexel…The Seahawks lead the all-time series by a 13-11 margin, including 7-4 at Trask Coliseum…Freddie Jackson reached double figures for the 11th time in 15 games…The Seahawks had 16 turnovers…UNCW won the battle of the boards, 32-23…Freshman guard Jordon Talley fouled for the seventh time this season…UNCW led for 33:52 of the contest…There were 46 fouls whistled in the game…Damien Lee played 39 of 40 minutes for the Dragons….Drexel dressed just eight players for the conference tilt…The Seahawks stand 5-1 at home this season.

-UNCW-