Richmond, VA (Sports Network) - Cedrick Williams scored 22 points and grabbed
eight rebounds to lead North Carolina-Wilmington to a 70-59 victory over James
Madison in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament.
Keith Rendleman added 14 points and Adam Smith chipped in 12 for the Seahawks
(10-20), who had lost six straight to conclude the regular season. Next up
will be a quarterfinal matchup with top-seeded Drexel on Saturday.
Arman Marks and Humpty Hitchens scored 12 points apiece for James Madison
(12-20), which lost nine of its last 11 games.
The Dukes opened an early 13-4 lead, but Wilmington battled back and used a
17-3 run to turn a six-point deficit into a 30-22 advantage late in the first
half. The Seahawks went into the break with a 34-25 cushion and opened the
second half with a 19-5 burst to blow it open.
Smith's three-pointer with just over nine minutes remaining gave Wilmington a
53-30 lead and James Madison never seriously threatened. The Dukes got as
close as seven on a three by Marks with 1:43 left, but the Seahawks made each
of their final 10 free throws to seal it.
GAME NOTES:
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