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WASHINGTON, D.C. – Graduate guard Donovan Newby scored a team-high 17 points, including six in the final 34 seconds, as second-seeded UNCW posted a hard-fought 76-72 victory over No. 12 Delaware to capture the 2025 Jersey Mike’s CAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Tuesday night at CareFirst Arena.
It was the league-record seventh CAA championship for the Seahawks (27-7), who earned an automatic berth to the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship. It was the first title for UNCW since 2017 after falling in the finals in 2022 and 2023.
It was a heartbreaking end to a historic run for Delaware (16-20), which became the first team in conference history to win four games in four days and became the first No. 12 seed to ever advance past the second round of the CAA Tournament.
Along with Newby’s 17 points, backcourt mate Bo Montgomery tallied 13 points for the Seahawks. UNCW’s bench players outscored Delaware 32-0, with Noah Ross tallying 14 points and Khamari McGriff chipping in 10.
Four Blue Hens were in double digits, topped by CAA Rookie of the Year Izaiah Pasha with 21 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Niels Lane netted 20 points, Cavan Reilly had 13 points and John Camden contributed 12 points and eight boards.
In a thrilling contest that featured six second-half lead changes, UNCW clung to a 69-67 advantage after a Camden three with under a minute to go. Newby nailed a jumper that pushed the margin to four with 34 seconds on the clock.
Pasha kept Delaware close, making a layup and then draining a three with eight seconds remaining to pull the Blue Hens within 74-72. However, Newby came up clutch again, sinking four straight free throws, including a pair with six seconds to go that sealed the victory.
UNCW held a narrow 14-10 advantage midway through the first half before breaking loose on a 15-4 run over a five-minute span. A 3-pointer by Greedy Williams put the Seahawks up 29-14 with 4:48 left in the period.
Delaware, which connected on only three of its first 18 shots from the floor, finally found its rhythm. An Erik Timko trey and a Camden three-point play were part of a 14-2 Blue Hens’ spurt that pulled them within three, 31-28, with 1:17 until the break. UNCW got a three from Newby and a pair of McGriff free throws to take extend its lead to 36-28 at the half.
The Blue Hens came out firing in the second half and took their largest lead of the game, 48-44, on a Reilly trey with 13:23 remaining. UNCW pulled even on a McGriff turnaround jumper a minute later and neither team led by more than five the rest of the way.
Newby was selected as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player, and he was joined on the all-tournament team by McGriff and Ross. Making the all-tournament squad from Delaware were Camden, Lane and Pasha.