SUNDAY'S SCORES
UNC Wilmington 82,
Eastern Illinois 65 (Asheville, N.C.)
Lipscomb 87,
@Morehead State 55
@SIUE 80, Incarnate Word 68
UNC WILMINGTON 82, EASTERN ILLINOIS 65
ASHEVILLE, N.C. - UNC Wilmington was hot all game from the field as the Seahawks handed Eastern Illinois an 82-65 loss on the final day of the visitcurrituckOBX.com Battle in the Blue Ridge on Sunday afternoon in Asheville, NC.
EIU fell to 3-3 on the season after going 2-1 in the tournament. UNCW improved to 3-4 on the season and was also 2-1 in the tournament.
UNC Wilmington came out gunning in the first half as the Seahawks quickly jumped out to a double figure lead at 16-6 as Ty Gadsden knocked down a 3-pointer with 15:15 to play.
EIU cut into the first half lead with Josiah Wallace connecting on back-to-back 3-pointers. The second 3-pointer came with 6:02 to play in the first half that cut UNCW’s lead to 26-25. Wallace had 12 first half points and finished the game with 19.
The Seahawks then pulled away with a 12-0 run sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers by Gadsden as he was 6-of-6 from the field and 4-of-4 from 3-point range in the opening half. Gadsden scored 16 of his 19 points for the game in the opening half.
UNCW led 45-32 at the half as the Seahawks shot 59 percent from the field in the first half and 56 percent for the game.
The Seahawks continued the same trend in the second half as UNCW had a pair of players finish with double-doubles. Devontae Cacok, the nation’s leading rebounder had 17 points and 13 rebounds. Guard Kai Toews had ten points and 14 assists. UNCW won the battle on the glass with a 37-26 margin.
EIU made four shots in the final minutes of play to cut what had been a 26-point deficit in the second half down to 14 points in the final minute.
Ben Harvey added ten points off the bench for EIU.
LIPSCOMB 87, MOREHEAD STATE 55
MOREHEAD, Ky. - The visiting Lipscomb men's basketball team utilized a well-rounded effort on both ends to keep the Morehead State Eagles at bay in their first game back from Thanksgiving break. Lipscomb made the most of a monstrous run midway through the first half, and it was all the separation needed before the hosting MSU men's hoops squad fell to the Bison, 87-55, at Johnson Arena Sunday afternoon.
The Eagles slipped to 2-4 on the young season, whereas the Bison advanced to 5-1.
The two squads traded baskets back and forth in the early going before the visitors went on a 20-4 run from the 12:55 mark to the 7:07 mark in the opening stanza. The Eagles trailed 48-26 at intermission after Lipscomb shot 9-for-16 from long range in the first half. The Eagles were held to 29 percent shooting from the floor in the first period.
Senior forward Lamontray Harris notched his fourth double-double on the season and the 12th of his career. The Louisville product finished today's contest with 15 points and 11 rebounds on 6-of-13 shooting. Also checking in with a double-figure performance was fellow senior A.J. Hicks, who chipped in 13 points.
Ahsan Asadullah came off the bench to lead the visitors with 15 points and nine rebounds. MSU ended up shooting 36 percent (22-of-62) for the game after connecting on 42 percent in the second period. Lipscomb finished at 46 percent (32-of-69).
SIUE 80, INCARNATE WORD 68
EDWARDSVILLE, Ill. - Once the SIUE Cougars got going Sunday at the Vadalabene Center, they couldn't be stopped.
SIUE used a powerful second half to defeat Incarnate Word 80-68 and celebrate its first men's basketball win of the season. The Cougars improved to 1-3 and the Cardinals dropped to 4-5.
The Cougars, trailing 27-26 at halftime, erupted for 54 second-half points, thanks mainly to 19-for-30 shooting.
McFarland scored 12 points and was one of five Cougars to reach double figures. Point guard Tyrese Williford led the parade with 20 points, six rebounds and six assists after scoring 24 points Wednesday at Valparaiso.
Anselm Uzuegbunem added 12 points, while Brandon Jackson and reserve Jaylen McCoy contributed 10 points. McCoy registered seven consecutive SIUE points midway through the second half when the Cougars stretched their lead from 51-43 to 58-45. McFarland's 3-pointer at 16:40 put SIUE on top 36-33 and the Cougars never looked back.
The Cougars overcame some inconsistency at the start of the game. They missed their first eight shots and trailed 8-0 before Uzuegbunem scored at 13:40. SIUE rallied to go ahead 24-20, when McFarland punched in seven successive points, but the Cardinals, members of the Southland Conference, held that one-point lead at half.
Yet the second half belonged to the Cougars. They withstood Christian Peevy's 32 points, including 20 in the second half. Incarnate World also made 23 of 25 free throws. The visitors connected on 22 of 48 shots, though they were just 1 of 7 on 3-pointers.
SIUE made 29 of 59 shots, including 8 of 21 treys. They Cougars converted 14 of 17 foul shots and outrebounded the Cardinals 32-26.