UNC Wilmington: 2024-25 Colonial Men's Basketball Champions

 

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."

UNC Wilmington: 2016-17 Colonial Men's Basketball Champions

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- C.J. Bryce, Devontae Cacok & Co. were headed off to celebrate when UNC Wilmington coach Kevin Keatts reminded his jubilant players to take their box scores.

"That's a championship stat sheet," Keatts said. "Get used to that."

They're working on it.

Bryce scored 24 points, and UNC Wilmington clinched its second straight NCAA tournament berth with a 78-69 victory over College of Charleston in the Colonial Athletic Association championship Monday night.

"We're champions again," Keatts said. "We're going dancing."

The Seahawks (29-5) grabbed control with an 18-5 run in the second half. Bryce sparked the decisive surge with a 3-pointer and finished it off with another long-range basket, making it 65-50 with 8:25 remaining.

College of Charleston closed to 76-69 on Evan Bailey's 3-pointer with 17 seconds left, but it ran out of time for a comeback. The Cougars (25-9) dropped to 0-6 in conference tournament finals since they last made it to the NCAAs by winning the Southern Conference title in 1999.

Seahawk fans rushed the court to join the celebration when the buzzer sounded. Players jumped and shouted. "We're not done yet," Bryce told the crowd.

Cacok had 15 points and 14 rebounds for the Seahawks, who extended their single-season record with their 29th victory. It was Cacok's 12th double-double of the season.

UNCW is 1-5 in its five previous NCAA tournaments, winning its first-round game in 2002 against No. 4 seed Southern California before falling in the next game to Indiana.

The Seahawks lost 93-85 to fourth-seeded Duke a year ago. Bryce had 16 in that game.

"This is definitely a confidence boost," said Bryce, a sophomore named the tournament's most outstanding player. "As long as we stay focused, we'll be good."

Keatts declined to address whether the Seahawks deserve a better NCAA seed than last year's group. "But since last year's [Duke] loss, we've only lost five games," he said. "That's hard to do."

Denzel Ingram had 11 points for UNC Wilmington.

Joe Chealey had 21 points for the Cougars, and Jarrell Brantley finished with 20.

Chealey said the team will learn from the experience.

"We got a taste of what it's like," he said. "We'll be back."

THE BIG PICTURE


College of Charleston: Chealey has to make shots for the Cougars to succeed and he struggled early on. He couldn't seem to get past the 6-foot-7 Cacok and 6-9 Chuck Ogbodo whenever he attempted to slash to the basket. Chealey was 7-for-19 from the field.

UNC Wilmington: The Seahawks shot 53 percent (28-for-53) from the field, helping make up for a lackluster 12-for-21 night for free throws.

EXPANDING SKILL SET

Cacok made sure Keatts saw he had one of the team's 16 assists. The sophomore forward is better known for his work down low grabbing rebounds.

After looking extra hard at the stat sheet, Keatts countered that Cacok also had a turnover. "So that wipes that [assist] out," he said, laughing.

Cacok has 14 assists this season.

UP NEXT

College of Charleston awaits a potential postseason bid.

UNC Wilmington will wait to see its NCAA tournament seeding.

UNC Wilmington: 2015-16 Colonial Men's Basketball Champions

BALTIMORE -- UNC Wilmington won its first Colonial Athletic Association title in 10 years and earned a trip to the NCAA tournament, getting 20 points from Craig Ponder in an 80-73 overtime victory over top-seeded Hofstra on Monday night.

The game was tied before a three-point play by Seahawks freshman C.J. Brycemade it 76-73 with 1:20 left in overtime. After a Hofstra misfire, Denzel Ingramdrilled a 3-pointer with 35 seconds remaining to clinch the comeback victory.

Chris Flemmings scored 19 for second-seeded UNCW (25-7) and Ingram added 17.

Rokas Gustys had 18 points and 23 rebounds for the Pride (24-9), and Ameen Tanksley scored 24. Hofstra was seeking its first CAA championship; the Pride last played in the NCAA tournament in 2001 after winning the American East.