UNCW Seahawks look to ride hot streak; Thursday high school hoops from WCA

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WILMINGTON, NC (UNCW) — Following a year-long process that included input from several different constituencies, UNCW’s long-awaited new athletics logo finally made its debut late Wednesday.

An announcement concerning the development of a new logo was made during Midnite Madness festivities back on Oct. 17, 2014, and the formal introduction of the school’s new athletic identity took place during a festive late-afternoon ceremony at Wagoner Hall on campus.

“We’re thrilled with the look of the new mark and know our students, alumni and fans will be excited as well,” said Jimmy Bass, UNCW’s athletic director. “It’s very distinctive and will help us expand our brand across the landscape of college athletics.”

A special plan to unveil the new logo involved the revelation of the insignia in puzzle pieces. Ten pieces were disclosed at different locations on campus, with the final piece dropped into place in front of students, faculty, staff and fans as the evening dinner rush descended on Wagoner Hall.

The creation of the new logo involved many segments of the UNCW community. Joe Bosack & Co. of Pottsville, Pa., which has created sports logos for Boise State, Xavier, Houston, the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Southeastern Conference and NCAA Championships, designed the new logo following a lengthy study of UNCW’s past history and branding initiatives.

The logo is the sixth insignia used by UNCW Athletics. The previous logo, designed by local artist Gary Longordo, was introduced in 1992 and remains in place as a secondary mark.

The new logo is user-friendly across a wide variety of platforms and applications.

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Thursday’s High School Scoreboard

Boys Basketball

ST. PAULS 63 – WEST COLUMBUS 60
OZZLEY JOHNSON HAD A GAME HIGH 18 POINTS FOR THE VIKINGS

WILMINGTON CHRISTIAN 71 – GREENVILLE CHRISTIAN 56
CHRIS KARRAS 15 POINTS FOR PATRIOTS

Girls Basketball

WEST COLUMBUS 43 – ST. PAULS 33

WILMINGTON CHRISTIAN 50 – GREENVILLE CHRISTIAN 34
ABBY SQUIRES 21 POINTS FOR PATRIOTS & 10 REBOUNDS

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WILLIAMSBURG, VA (UNCW) — For the second straight game, the trio of junior guard Shatia Cole (Myrtle Beach H.S./Myrtle Beach, S.C.), sophomore guard Brie Mobley (Winter Haven H.S./Winter Haven, Fla.) and senior guard Kelva Atkins (Granville Central H.S./Stem, N.C.) led the way for the UNCW women’s basketball team.

However, the terrific trio, which combined for 51 points and 18 rebounds, and the rest of their Seahawk teammates were unable to overcome a strong second half start by host William & Mary (9-11, 3-6) as the Tribe overcame an early deficit to post a 67-62 Colonial Athletic Association victory over the Seahawks (8-12, 4-5) at Kaplan Arena on Thursday evening.

Freshman guard Jenna Green (Centreville H.S./Clifton, Va.) scored 10 of her team-high 16 points in the second half to lead William & Mary, which rallied from a 12-point deficit to earn its first home win since Nov. 29.

After rallying to take a three-point lead at the end of the first half, the Tribe surged ahead in the opening nine minutes of the second stanza by going on a 20-8 run to increase their advantage to 54-39 with 11:33 remaining. Sophomore forward Alexandra Masaquel (‘Iolani School/Honolulu, Hawaii) led the charge by scoring 8 of her 10 points.

But, Atkins and Cole each scored four points to ignite a 9-0 run by UNCW, trimming the deficit to 58-54 with 6:46 left.

William & Mary upped its advantage to 61-51 with 3:12 remaining in regulation before a 10-0 spurt by the Seahawks narrowed the margin to 61-60 on a Mobley jumper with 36 seconds remaining. Mobley scored 6 of her 16 points during the run.

However, the Tribe secured the victory by making six straight free throws over the final 30 seconds.

Led by 11 points from Atkins, the Seahawks jumped out to a 27-15 lead in the first 13 minutes of the game. But, the Tribe answered by scoring 19 of the final 23 points to take a 34-31 advantage into the intermission.

While Green led the Tribe with 16 points, senior forward Jazmen Boone (Princess Anne H.S./Virginia Beach, Va.) added 13 points with 10 rebounds. Masaquel made five of eight shots from the floor and also contributed seven rebounds.

Cole scored a game-high 18 points to lead the Seahawks by making 7 of 18 field goal attempts, including a 4-for-9 effort from three-point range. Atkins posted her third “double double” of the season with 17 points and a season-high 14 rebounds while Mobley added 16 points on 7-for-13 shooting from the field.

The Seahawks will return home on Sunday, Feb. 1 to face Drexel in a CAA contest at 1:00 p.m. at Trask Coliseum.

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