With his team's season at stake, UNCW basketball point guard Donovan Newby went for reassurance.
Ahead of his two trips to the free-throw line in the final 13 seconds in the CAA championship game on Tuesday night, Newby could be seen talking to himself as he set up for each pair of critical shots.
"I was telling myself, 'You're built for this,'" he said.
Newby coolly drained all four shots, finally pushing back the last chances at an upset by Delaware and sending UNCW back to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years. The Seahawks grabbed a 76-72 victory at CareFirst Arena in Washington, D.C., and head back to the Port City, ready to create even more March Madness.
"We could have wilted at any point," coach Takayo Siddle said. "We got through any adversity that was in front of us and got the job done.
"We've experienced two of these where it didn't work out. But we always talk about learning life lessons."
Led by Newby, the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, UNCW returns to the NCAA field for the first time since their back-to-back trips in 2016-17. It will learn its opponent during Sunday's NCAA Selection Show, which begins at 6 p.m.
This was the Seahawks' third CAA final in four seasons under Siddle, and they finally broke through.
"We are a program that is prideful," Siddle said. "We have a championship culture, and we always feel like if we don't win it all, we fail. At least I do. ... To be back up top is very special."
No. 2 seed UNCW had as much as a 15-point lead in the first half, but the 12th-seeded Blue Hens ― playing their fifth game in five days ― refused to give in and took a four-point lead with 13:23 to play.
The Seahawks (27-7) were led in scoring by Newby with 17 points as four Seahawks finished in double figures. Newby finished the tournament 18-for-18 from the free-throw line over three games.
Noah Ross had 14 points, Bo Montgomery had 13 and Khamari McGriff had 10. Newby had six of the final seven points for UNCW in the final 35 seconds. Newby was joined on the all-tournament team by Ross and McGriff.
Reigning CAA Freshman of the Year Izaiah Pasha was excellent for Delaware, finishing with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Delaware (16-20) was attempting to become only the third team to win five games in a conference tournament, and the highest seed to ever win a conference tournament.
UNCW outscored Delaware 32-0 on bench points, as the Hens played only their starters for nearly all of the final 30 minutes of the game.
For the postgame press conference, Siddle was joined by McGriff, the program's only four-year player, as well as Ross, Newby and Nolan Hodge, who've all been here three years. One reporter noted that three of them weren't even starters.
"Our depth is a big weapon for us," Ross said. "Anyone can deliver for us. That's everyone's mindset going into the game."
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