WILMINGTON, N.C. – Shane Reybold scored 15 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead UNC Wilmington to a 69-50 win over Campbell Tuesday night at Trask Coliseum.
Reybold matched his career high by making 5-of-7 from the floor and 5-of-7 from the line for UNCW (6-5), which won its second-straight game. Freddie Jackson added 11 points, while Craig Ponder and Cedrick Williams chipped in 10 apiece for the Seahawks, who shot 52 percent from the field and finished with a 43-30 rebounding edge.
Kyre' Hamer came off the bench to score 11 points for Campbell (4-4), which shot just 36 percent from the floor, made a season-low 6-of-24 from 3-point distance and only 2-of-13 (.150) from the foul line. CU's leading scorers of Darius Leonard and Andrew Ryan, who entered the contest averaging more than 26 points per game as a tandem, were held to a total of 10 points on 4-of-15 shooting.
"I'm disappointed. I didn't think we played our best today," said Campbell head coach Kevin McGeehan. "I think we're a better team than we showed, but credit UNCW, they're a good rebounding team. When they miss those guys are really good at going and getting the ball."
Reybold's basket with 14:18 to play in the opening half broke a 7-7 tie and started a 14-0 run that UNCW extended to a 22-2 rally. UNCW made 11 of its first 17 shots and led 29-9 with 7:58 left in the opening half after Jackson scored on the break.
CU rallied late in the period with a Luke Moyer three and consecutive buckets by Kyre' Hamer to trim the gap to 29-16. Reco McCarter's dunk on the break again cut the margin to 13 with 30 seconds left in the period. However, Addison Spruill swished a triple from the right wing as the horn sounded to push the UNCW advantage to 41-25 at the break.
UNCW shot 56 percent (15-27) from the floor in the opening period, hitting 4-of-8 triples, plus 7-of-11 from the line.
Jackson scored to give UNCW its largest lead (52-31) with 12:05 remaining before the Camels rallied with a 17-4 run. Andrew Ryan's only 3 of the night brought CU within 56-48 with 5:52 left.
However, Reybold grabbed an offensive rebound and scored on the stick-back then completed the 3-point play to start an 11-0 burst and put the game out of reach.
"When we were able to get to our 1-3-1 defense it really changed the game and got us within 8," said McGeehan. "We needed one or two more stops and a couple baskets."
Tuesday's contest was the 99th between the Eastern North Carolina rivals in a series that dates to 1952 when both programs competed at the junior college level. The teams have split the last 6 meetings, but CU has not won at Trask Coliseum in its last 7 trips to the Port City.
The Camels take a week-long break for final exams before returning to action Tues., Dec. 10 at home vs. Chowan (7:00 p.m.).
