Photo Courtesy of UNCW Athletics Communications

WILMINGTON, N.C. – UNCW shot 47.1 percent from the floor (8-of-17) in a second-half surge that led the Seahawks to a 58-45 victory over College of Charleston on Wednesday night in Colonial Athletic Association action at Trask Coliseum.

The Cougars (7-19, 2-11 CAA) led 30-24 at halftime after a first half which saw both teams teeter back-and-forth with a share of the lead three times.

Back-to-back three-pointers by senior Anthony Stitt (Charlotte, N.C.) off the bench and sophomore Canyon Barry (Colorado Springs, Colo.) gave CofC its largest lead of the game, 30-21, with 1:16 remaining in the half.

The Cougars limited their turnovers, grabbed more rebounds than UNCW and scored more points in the paint for the majority of the 20:45 in which they held possession of the lead.

In the second half, CofC went 4-of-23 from the field (17.4%) including 0-for-8 from beyond the three-point arc as UNCW outscored the Cougars, 34-15. The Seahawks got a spark from Addison Spruill, who scored six consecutive points, which were part of a 22-0 run from the 13:03 and 2:19 minute marks.

Senior big man Adjehi Baru (Abidjan, Ivory Coast) ended the scoring drought on a layup with 2:06 remaining in regulation. The deficit was too much to chip away at as CofC shot a season-low 27.8 percent in the road loss.

The win was crucial for the Seahawks (14-10, 9-4) as they moved into second place and one game back of league-leader William & Mary (16-8, 10-3) in the current CAA standings with five games remaining in the regular season. It was the Cougars' second-straight setback in league play after an 80-72 upset of the Tribe on Feb. 5.

Three UNCW players scored in double figures including a game-high 18 points from Jordon Talley, who got off to a slow start with two called charges and was limited to five points in the first half by the CofC defense. Talley's scoring effort was complemented by 16 points from Spruill and 12 points from Freddie Jackson for the team's sixth win in eight games.

Up next, CofC hosts Towson (11-15, 4-9) for a Sunday matinee scheduled for 12:30 p.m. (ET) on Feb. 15 at TD Arena. The game will be televised nationally on the NBC Sports Network. Tickets are still available for purchase by calling (843) 953-COFC.

POSTGAME NOTES

• For the ninth time this season, the Cougars started Joe Chealey, Cameron Johnson, Canyon Barry, Donovan Gilmore and Adjehi Baru (2-7).

• UNCW swept the regular-season series with College of Charleston and have now won three-straight in the series. It was the first time in the last three games between the two schools in which overtime was not needed or the game was decided in single digits after back-to-back two-point losses to the Seahawks in OT.

• Adjehi Baru had a near double-double with eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds at UNCW. It was his fourth double-figure rebounding effort of the season.

• Joe Chealey extended his career-best, double-digit scoring streak to five games with 12 points at UNCW.

• Anthony Stitt came off the bench for the third game he has been back in the lineup after being sidelined for seven games with a knee injury. He dished out a team-high three assists and now has 295 for his career and is five away from joining the elite 300-Assist Club.

• Canyon Barry registered 11 points in the loss to UNCW and has scored in double figures in 14 of the last 18 games for the Cougars.

• CofC shot a season-low 27.8 percent from the floor (15-of-54) including 17.4 percent in the second half of play.

• For the second-consecutive game, the Cougars worked hard on both ends of the glass with 13 offensive boards against UNCW, which tied as the third-most in a single game this season. They also grabbed a season-high 16 offensive rebounds against Drexel on Feb. 7.

POSTGAME QUOTES 

College of Charleston Head Coach Earl Grant

On the game …

“We got out-toughed tonight. Plain and simple. At some point, we have to learn to get stronger in the second half and not weaker. The 10-minute mark of the second half – that's the guts of the game. When you are up, you have to get consecutive stops, you have to find a way to get consecutive rebounds and you have to step-up and make a shot. Defensively, you have to be really sound.  I thought as the game went on, we just wore down. It's been that way a lot this season. But, tonight has been the worse I have seen us not have middle-of-the-game toughness. It was disappointing. UNCW defended well. They made plays down the stretch and we didn't.”

On the second half …

“Turnovers weren't the issue. It started with the lack of our ability to get a stop. It started at the 10-minute mark and not getting a defensive rebound. I subbed a guy out and on the next possession we didn't get a stop. (Addison) Spruill drove it in the middle, got a layup and cut it to two. Then the next possession, they (UNCW) got another drive and foul. Again, it comes down to toughness and it comes down to hunger. I told our guys that was the first time a team outworked us down-the-stretch. At halftime, we were clearly in control of the game. The first five minutes of the second half, we had control of it. But, we didn't have enough grit and fortitude down the stretch to continue to grind.”