Seahawks stay in first in CAA basketball after win over Towson

TOWSON, MD (UNCW) — Addison Spruill and Jordon Talley combined for a perfect 10-for-10 at the free throw line in the final 39 seconds to spark the UNCW men’s basketball team to a clutch 73-69 victory over stubborn Colonial Athletic Association rival Towson on a snowy Saturday afternoon at SECU Arena.

The Seahawks won for the third time in four outings to improve to 16-11 overall and 11-5 in the CAA. UNCW remained atop the CAA standings and forged a half-game lead ahead of Northeastern, James Madison and William & Mary, who play later Saturday and Sunday.

The pesky Tigers, meanwhile, dipped to 12-17 and 5-11 after suffering their fifth loss in their last six outings.

While nearly five inches of snow blanketed the suburban Baltimore area, the Seahawks snatched control of the game early, lost the lead late and proved resilient down the stretch, using timely free throw shooting to complete a sweep of the regular season series with the Tigers.

Senior guard Addison Spruill led all scorers with 26 points for the Seahawks. The former Pender High School standout went 8-of-16 from the floor and added 10-of-11 at the free throw line and added a game-high eight rebounds. Junior guard Craig Ponder chipped in 11 points and freshman playmaker Jordon Talley finished with 10.

Freshman guard Mike Morsell anchored three Tigers in double figures with 19 points, including 9-of-10 free throws. Sophomore forward John Davis collected 13 points and six boards and junior guard Four McGlynn scored 12 – all in the second half – for Pat Skerry’s club.

I felt like we made a lot of plays down the stretch. We made our free throws and we made some stops,” said UNCW first-year Head Coach Kevin Keatts. “What a great game today…we just found a way to win, Towson is such a tough team to play against because they get on the glass physically. I just wanted our guys to come out and match their intensity.

“Addison (Spruill) was tremendous today. Out of all the guys, he was the most disappointed in his performance on Thursday (a 70-59 loss at Delaware) because he took a lot of challenged shots He did a very good job today.”
After the Seahawks carved out a 34-30 advantage at halftime, UNCW pushed the advantage to 45-36 with 15 minutes remaining on Spruill’s basket on the left elbow. The Currie, N.C., product scored eight of the team’s first 11 points after the break.

Towson wouldn’t go away, however, and the determined Tigers fought back, finally overtaking the Seahawks, 56-55, with an 8-0 spurt, capped by Four McGlynn’s difficult layup with 4:51 left to play. The game was still close when Eddie Keith made the second of two free throws to knot the score at 61-all with 2:10 showing, setting up the last-second marksmanship at the charity stripe by Spruill and Talley.

Spruill gave the Seahawks a 65-61 edge on a pair of free throw with 39 seconds on the clock and dropped in two more five seconds later. In between, the cool Talley sank six consecutive free throws to complete a solid 21-for-26 day at the foul line for the winners.

The Seahawks got off to a slow start and fell behind, 7-2, early before regrouping with an 11-2 run, topped by a baby hook on the left baseline by sophomore center C.J. Gettys that put the Seahawks ahead, 13-9, with 12:49 left in the first half.

UNCW maintained the lead the rest of the opening period and raised the margin to nine points when Dylan Sherwood drained his second triple of the half in the right corner to give the Seahawks a 30-21 cushion at 3:40. Sherwoodm finished the first half with eight points on 3-of-4 from deep.

But Towson answered with a 7-0 spurt to pull within two points, 30-28, on a pair of free throws by Eddie Keith II. The Seahawks then took a 34-30 lead into intermission on Freddie Jackson’s gliding layup with 24 seconds on the clock.

The Seahawks return to Trask Coliseum on Wednesday to entertain JMU in the regular season home finale for the Seahawks. The 7 p.m. clash will be the final home appearance for seniors Freddie Jackson, Addison Spruill and Cedrick Williams. The Tigers visit W&M on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. matchup against the Tribe.

GAME NOTES: The Seahawks lead the Tigers, 19-13, in the 32-game series…UNCW snapped a three-game losing streak at Towson…UNCW stands 16-9 against Towson since the Tigers joined the CAA in 2001-02…UNCW is 7-9 on the road this season and 5-3 in conference road games…The Seahawks won the first game between the two clubs, 69-65, in a televised game on Jan. 24 at Trask Coliseum…Towson, the CAA’s top rebounding team, fashioned a 27-25 edge on the glass…The Seahawks forced 14 turnovers…There were three ties and three lead changes in the contest…Senior forward Cedrick Williams did not score, missing his only field goal attempt and finishing with two rebounds in 17 minutes…UNCW’s bench contributed 20 points, including eight by Dylan Sherwood and five by Malik Pugh.