East Carolina University
UNC-Wilmington
Men's Basketball Falls to Seahawks In Wilmington
December 05, 2006 | Men's Basketball
Dec. 5, 2006
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WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - Todd Hendley scored seven of his game-high 15 points during an 11-2 stretch late in the second half to lead UNC Wilmington to a 59-44 victory over East Carolina on Tuesday night.
With the loss, the Pirates dropped to 4-3 on the year, while the Seahawks improved to 3-4 overall.
Hendley, who matched his season-high set earlier this season against the College of Charleston, made 5-for-11 from the field and converted all five of his free throw attempts. Freshman forward Montez Downey chipped in 14 points, including 11 in the second half.
Freshman forward John Fields paced the Pirates with 12 points on 5-of-6 from the floor and a pair of free throws. It was the first time this year that Fields led ECU in scoring, netting double figures for the third time in the last four games.
Fellow ECU rookie Gabe Blair grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds for his second career double figure rebounding game.
The Seahawks led by seven points midway through the second half before the Pirates sliced the deficit to 44-40 on an eight-foot jumper by Courtney Captain along the left baseline at 10:32.
But UNCW, sparked by Hendley, went on an 11-2 run to break away from the visitors. Hendley started the rally with a layup with 10:16 remaining and Kuljanin's putback at 1:25 turned a 44-40 lead into a 57-42 rout and eventual win for the Seahawks.
After ECU took its first lead of the game, 24-23, on Captain's steal and layup at 18:40, the Seahawks reeled off seven straight points for a 30-24 edge. Downey drained a three-ball from deep in the left corner to give the Seahawks a six-point lead with 17:43 left.
Both teams struggled offensively in the first 20 minutes. The Seahawks shot just 31 percent, making 9-of-29 field goals, and failed to score in the final 7:14. The Pirates, meanwhile, managed only 26.9 percent on 7-of-26 from the floor and missed 14 of their first 17 shots.
UNCW took advantage of ECU's early shooting woes by jumping out to a 14-2 lead over the first eight minutes. A scoop shot by senior forward Dejan Grkovic in the lane at 12:19 gave the Seahawks a 12-point lead at the first official timeout.
The Seahawks enjoyed a 21-10 cushion on Kuljanin's layup in the lane with 7:14 remaining in the opening period before the bottom dropped out. ECU closed out the remainder of the period with an 11-0 run and a monster dunk by Fields brought the Pirates even at intermission, 21-all.
ECU returns home to entertain former Conference USA foe USF Saturday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.
