Men’s basketball
WILMINGTON-Towson dominated play inside, racking up 46 points in the paint, to hand UNCW its fifth straight Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball opening loss 79-74 Wednesday night at Trask Coliseum.
The Tigers improved to 6-8 on the season and 1-0 in the CAA. The Seahawks dropped their second in a row and fourth in five games to fall to 5-8 and 0-1. It was the first home loss in six appearances for UNCW in 2012-13.
Junior forward Jerrelle Benimon, a transfer from Georgetown, paced three players in double figures for the Tigers with 18 points. Graduate student Bilal Dixon had 14 points and junior guard Mike Burwell contributed 13.
Senior forward Keith Rendleman registered his sixth double-double of the season and the 28th of his career with 14 points and a career-high 21 rebounds for the Seahawks. Tyree Graham also poured in a career-high 18 points and redshirt freshman guard CraigPonder had a game-high 23.
The Tigers shot 50 percent in the opening 20 minutes to build a 44-28 bulge at intermission and led by as many as 19 points early in the second half. UNCW made it interesting down the stretch and got the lead down to three points with 20 seconds left before the final verdict.
The Seahawks open a two-game conference road swing Saturday with a 1 p.m. contest at Northeastern.
Women’s basketball
WILMINGTON-The UNCW women’s basketball team continues a three-game homestand as it entertains North Carolina A&T in an 11:30 matinee Thursday at Trask Coliseum.
The Seahawks (1-9) will look to snap a six-game losing skid on Thursday after closing out December with a 53-42 setback to former CAA foe Richmond Sunday at Trask Coliseum.
Thursday’s game will serve as the sixth installment of the popular “Seahawks Tomorrow” program, which brings local elementary school students to the UNCW campus for a day of activities. The Seahawks are 5-0 in their previous “Seahawk Tomorrow” contests, including a 60-53 victory over Northeastern in last season’s contest on Jan. 5, 2012.
The Lady Seahawks open Colonial Athletic Association play Sunday with a 2 p.m. contest versus James Madison.
