WILMINGTON, N.C. – Matt Wilson's tip-in with 1.4 seconds left lifted UNC Wilmington to a 67-65 win over Campbell Monday night at Trask Coliseum.
Donte Morales missed a short bank shot in the final seconds and the 7-foot Wilson tapped in the deciding bucket that gave the Seahawks (3-6) their only lead of the final half.
Andrew Ryan's 3 from the right wing gave the Camels (8-4) a 50-39 lead with 12:32 remaining. UNCW answered with a 12-2 run and pulled within 52-51 on Cedrick Williams' jumper in the lane with 8:52 remaining.
Darren White's three-point play put the Camels ahead 65-61 with 2:02 remaining, but Morales dunked off a back-door cut to pull the Seahawks within two.
White missed both ends of a two-shot foul opportunity with 1:18 remaining. KK Simmons tied the score on the other end on a drive through traffic with 45 seconds to go. White's 16-foot jumper from the left side missed to set up UNCW's final shot.
Campbell missed 10 of 15 free throws, including three front ends of one-and-one chances in the final period, and suffered its third-straight loss.
White led all scorers with 29 points, 20 in the first half. Griffin added 18 points and a career-high 15 rebounds, plus 4 assists and 3 blocks.
Morales came off the UNCW bench to score 16 points, 14 in the second half. Keith Rendleman added 12 points and 9 boards, while Simmons finished with 10. Cedrick Williams chipped in 8 points and 13 rebounds.
Campbell shot 49 percent (28-57) from the field and lost despite holding the hosts to 32 percent (23-71) shooting. UNCW finished 16-of-24 at the line (.667), while CU made just 5-of-15 from the stripe.
White equaled his 20-point scoring average in the first half alone when he hit 8-of-10 from the floor (3-of-5 threes) and 1-of-2 from the line. Griffin added 12 points on 6-of-8 shots, plus 8 rebounds.
UNCW took an 11-5 lead on Matt Wilson's dunk with 13:52 to go, but the Camels answered with a 17-5 run as White scored the last 11 in the spurt.
The Seahawks pulled with 22-20 on Adam Smith's technical free throws with 5:43 left. However, Campbell closed the half on a 12-6 run capped by White's left-handed lay-up just before the buzzer and the Camels led 34-26 at the break.
Monday's contest was the second buzzer-beating winner in the last two years between the schools. A year ago at Buies Creek, Junard Hartley knocked down a 3 from the left corner with 1.4 seconds to play that lifted the Camels to a 57-56 win.
Campbell continues its five-game road stretch Thursday in a 7:00 p.m. start at Appalachian State.
