Sophomore guard Naqaiyyah Teague scored 20 of her career-high 24 points in the second half as the UNCW women’s basketball team earned its first road win of the season with an 86-82 Colonial Athletic Association victory over Elon at Alumni Hall on Thursday evening.
The Seahawks, who ended a 15-game road losing streak with the victory, improve to 9-14 overall and 5-7 in the CAA. Meanwhile, the Phoenix had its two-game win streak snapped with the loss, dropping to 14-9 overall and 7-5 in the circuit.
Teague, who posted her first “double double” of the season in the Seahawks’ loss at Delaware, erupted in the second half to lead UNCW to the victory. She made 7-of-11 shots from the floor, including a 2-for-3 effort from long range after the intermission as the Seahawks overcame a 36-35 deficit at the break.
After falling behind by a 43-39 margin early in the second half, the Seahawks scored 11 of the next 16 points to take a 50-48 advantage with 14:11 left on a three-point field goal by Teague.
Elon regained a one-point advantage on a traditional three-point play, but UNCW put together a 15-4 run, including five points from Teague and senior guard Kelva Atkins to take a 65-55 lead with 8:32 remaining.
Sophomore Brie Mobley also ignited a seven-point run late in the game with five points to give the Seahawks a 74-61 advantage they did not relinquish.
Teague was one of four UNCW players to score in double figures. Ryan Flowers posted her fifth “double double” of the season by scoring 15 points with 12 rebounds, while Atkins contributed 20 points. Mobley posted 13 points and eight rebounds for the Seahawks, who out-rebounded Elon by a 40-27 margin.
The Seahawks return home on Sunday afternoon to welcome Northeastern to Trask Coliseum for a 2 p.m. tip-off. It will be a re-match of the Jan. 16 meeting, which the Huskies won by a 73-64 count at Cabot Center.
