UNCW now 5-0 in CAA for first time in school history

WILMINGTON, NC (COURTESY UNCWSPORTS.COM) — High-powered UNCW placed six men in double figures to whack William & Mary, 101-77, and reach 5-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association for the first time in a battle of the league’s top two offenses Thursday night at Trask Coliseum.

The Seahawks (16-2, 5-0) extended their winning streak to five games and remained unbeaten at home with an unblemished 7-0 mark. It marked the fifth time this season the Seahawks have eclipsed the century mark and the first time against a league foe since a 103-98 victory at Towson on Jan. 24, 2009.

The Tribe (8-7, 2-2) had its two-game winning streak snapped after a torrid start went sour quickly for the Williamsburg, Va., club in front of 4,889 Seahawk faithful.

“This is the vision I wanted as far as UNCW basketball,” said third-year Head Coach Kevin Keatts, who raised his record to 35-11 in CAA games. “Up tempo, getting out, getting fast breaks, dunks, shooting three’s. I’m excited because we beat a very good basketball team tonight who was capable of beating anybody in the country because of their ability to shoot the basketball.

“I’m proud of our guys. Our starters did a tremendous job. Jordon Talley came off the bench and gave us a big lift. And Marcus Bryan and Jaylen Fornes also did a good job.”

Sophomore guard C.J. Bryce, senior guard Denzel Ingram and senior guard Chris Flemmings scored 18 points apiece to boost UNCW’s textbook offensive attack. Graduate guard Ambrose Mosley and sophomore forward Devontae Cacok added 14 points apiece for the Seahawks, who broke the game wide open by shooting 64.7 percent in the second half.

The high-flying Cacok rocked down five dunks and wound up with his third consecutive double-double behind 14 points and 13 rebounds. The nation’s leader in field goal percentage finished the night hitting 7-of-8 from the floor and is shooting 83.1 percent through 18 games on 108-of-130 field goals.

Junior forward Jack Whitman led four William & Mary players in double digits with a career-high 21 points. Senior guard Omar Prewitt contributed 12 points and senior guard Daniel Dixon and freshman forward Nathan Knight had 10 points apiece.

The Seahawks have opened with five victories in the CAA for the first time since joining the loop in 1984-85. Two other clubs (1993-94 and 2001-02) won their first four outings in the conference before falling.

UNCW maintained a share of first place in the CAA with Charleston and Northeastern. The Cougars won on the road at James Madison and Northeastern held serve at home against Drexel.

In Thursday’s contest, the Tribe had the hot hand early before the Seahawks caught Tony Shaver’s club late in the first half and then blew by the visitors in the second half for their 10^th double digit win of the campaign.

After finishing the first half with a flurry, the Seahawks picked up where they left off and led, 67-46, with 15 minutes left after cranking out 13 consecutive points. The athletic Flemmings started the decisive run with a scoop layup and Bryce wrapped it up with two free throws at 13:21 as the lead swelled to 21 points.

The Seahawks later notched their largest lead of the game, 96-65, on Cacok’s fifth slam of the night with 3:30 left on the clock.

William & Mary came out of the gate on fire and converted eight of its first 10 shots to grab an early 17-14 advantage. Prewitt was the catalyst for the Tribe, scoring seven points after draining his first three field goal attempts. UNCW, meanwhile was cold from the floor, making just 5-of-15 from the field.

The Tribe, which hit 14 of its first 17 field goal attempts, stayed hot throughout the first half and built an eight-point cushion, 30-22, on Whitman’s slam with 7:48 left in the opening period.

But the Seahawks roared back, reeling off 12 unanswered points on the front end of a 17-2 run that turned the tables on the Tribe. A spinning layup by Cacok capped the 12-point spurt and a pair of free throws by Bryce gave UNCW a 39-32 advantage with just over four minutes left.

UNCW took a 47-36 cushion into intermission after closing out the half with a 25-6 run and capitalizing on costly turnovers by the Tribe over the final seven minutes of the period.

With Mosley, Bryce and Cacok providing the spark, the Seahawks finished the period strong and scored 20 points on 10 turnovers by the Tribe.

The Seahawks wrap up their two-game homestand on Saturday with a 2 p.m. tip-off against Hofstra. The Tribe moves down to Charleston for a 4 p.m. clash on Saturday against the Cougars.

GAME NOTES: The Seahawks lead the all-time series with the Tribe, 42-26….UNCW now stands 22-12 against W&M at Trask Coliseum….Denzel Ingram and C.J. Bryce shared game honors with six assists each…The Seahawks outscored the Tribe by 11 points in the first half and 13 after intermission…UNCW scored 28 points off fast breaks…UNCW outrebounded William & Mary, 35-32…The Seahawks picked up 12 steals on the night…Head Coach Kevin Keatts is now 29-4 at home in three seasons…The Seahawks are 24-4 against the Tribe in January games.