UNCW comes back to knock off Yale 68-67 in NIT opener

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (WWAY) — In the opening round of the NIT, UNCW men’s basketball pulled off a stunning comeback to knock off hosting Yale 68-67 on Tuesday.

The Seahawks struggled early and trailed 9-0 at one point. Wilmington did not score their first points until after the game’s second commercial break.

After cutting their deficit to six at halftime, they again had issues with the Bulldogs and went down as much as 14 points. With less than seven minutes to go, a Nolan Hodge layup gave the Seahawks their first lead.

Yale took the lead off a three-pointer with just under a minute to go. Christian May returned the favor on the following possession to go up 68-67.

The Bulldogs were then called for an offensive foul with around 20 seconds remaining. After several free throw misses from both sides, Yale inbounded with 1.6 remaining and missed the final shot of the game.

This was the first meeting between the programs and UNCW’s first NIT appearance since 2001.

UNCW will face the winner between Dayton and Bradley this weekend.