UNCW Battles Back from Down 12 to Win CAA Quarterfinal
Rob Washburn
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 5, 2023) – Fourth-seeded UNCW overcame a 12-point second-half deficit to edge #5 Drexel, 73-68, in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Jersey Mike’s CAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Sunday afternoon at the Entertainment & Sports Arena.
The Seahawks (23-9) advance to play top-seeded Hofstra in the semifinals at 6 p.m. on Monday. Drexel fell to 17-15.
UNCW junior Nick Farrar came off the bench to score a team-best 19 points in 17 minutes, matching the season-high he achieved against Drexel during the regular season. Trazarien White contributed 14 points and a team-high eight rebounds and reserve Jamarii Thomas chipped in 11 points.
Freshman Justin Moore tallied a team-best 16 points off the bench for Drexel, while Amari Williams and Luke House scored 13 points apiece.
Neither team led by more than eight in a well-played and competitive first half in which both teams shot 60.9% (14-23) from the floor. UNCW went up 13-5 in the opening five minutes on a bucket by White and maintained the lead until a 3-pointer by Drexel’s House tied the contest at 27-27 with 5:44 left in the period. The trey was the start of a 9-0 run for the Dragons, who went ahead 33-27 on Moore’s layup with 2:56 remaining. Moore topped all scorers with nine points as Drexel held a 38-34 advantage at halftime.
The Dragons steadily increased their lead early in the second half and went up 50-38 on a 3-pointer from Coletrane Washington with 15:08 on the clock. However, the Seahawks rallied behind the play of Farrar, who scored 12 points in just over four minutes to pull UNCW within two. Thomas followed with a trey, putting the Seahawks back on top, 58-57, with 9:37 left.
The game was tied 64-64 with six minutes to go when UNCW put together a 7-0 spurt keyed by five points from guard Shykeim Phillips. Drexel fought back within three with 42 seconds left on a Williams layup and had a chance to tie game in the final seconds but had a 3-point attempt rim out. UNCW’s Maleek Harden-Hayes made a pair of free throws with 2.9 seconds to go to seal the win.
UNCW shot 54.9% from the floor, which was its best percentage since Dec. 31.
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