No. 9 Campbell Stuns Top-Seeded UNCW with 85-70 Quarterfinal Victory
Dylan Smith
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PRESS CONFERENCE – CAMPBELL | PRESS CONFERENCE – CAMPBELL
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Powered by a 16-0 second-half run, Campbell became the first No. 9 seed to ever reach the semifinals of the Air Force Reserve CAA Men’s Basketball Championship, stunning No. 1 UNCW, 85-70, on Sunday afternoon at CareFirst Arena.
The Fighting Camels (16-17), who won their first CAA Tournament game on Saturday, will face either No. 4 Monmouth or No. 5 Drexel in the semifinals at 6 p.m. on Monday. UNCW (26-6), which captured the CAA regular-season title, will continue its season after earning an automatic bid to the NIT.
All-CAA guard DJ Smith scored 17 of his team-high 20 points in the second half to lead a balanced scoring effort for Campbell. Backcourt mate Jeremiah Johnson tallied 17 points, post player Dovydas Butka added 14 points and eight rebounds, and Chris Fields Jr. provided 11 points and a team-high nine boards off the bench.
For UNCW, All-CAA center Patrick Wessler recorded his 17th double-double with 21 points and 13 rebounds. CAA Sixth Man of the Year Madison Durr also scored 21, with 17 coming in the second half.
UNCW held a narrow 33-31 halftime advantage and there were four lead changes and three ties in the first five minutes of the second half. Trailing 41-40 with under 14 minutes to play, Campbell rattled off 16 consecutive points over a span of 3:44. Smith drained back-to-back three-pointers and Fields, Jr. had two straight buckets in the run before a pair of Tasos Cook free throws put the Camels ahead, 56-41, with 9:51 to play.
Campbell extended the margin to 19 (66-47) with less than seven minutes to go. Durr tallied 13 straight points for the Seahawks and they were able to get as close as 11 (75-64) on a Wessler bucket with 1:43 on the clock, but the Camels put the game away by hitting 26-of-31 free throws in the second half.
UNCW rode the inside play of Wessler to jump out to a 21-10 lead in the opening nine minutes of the game. The Seahawks’ big man had 10 points during the stretch, capped by a rim-rattling dunk. However, Campbell converted six straight field goal attempts and closed within 23-22 on back-to-back layups from Muneer Newton. The Camels drew even on two occasions in the final five minutes before Wessler converted a tough turnaround jumper at the buzzer to put UNCW ahead by two at the half.
It's the first time since 2021, and just the third time in league history, that the top seed in the CAA Tournament has been knocked out in the quarterfinals.
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