The UNC-Wilmington Seahawks won the first game of the CAA Men's Basketball Tournament in Richmond, VA, defeating the James Madison Dukes, 70-59. The Seahawks had a nine-point lead at halftime and lead by as much as 23 in the second half.
The Seahawks were led in scoring by forward Cedrick Williams, who scored 22 points on 7-12 shooting from the field and grabbing eight rebounds in addition to going 8-10 from the foul line. Also making big contributions for UNC-Wilmington were guards Adam Smith and Keith Rendleman with 14 points each. Guard Tanner Milson also added 10 points for the Seahawks.
On the side of the Dukes, guard Humpty Hitchens and reserve guard Arman Marks each scored 12 points. Despite the Dukes shooting a bit better than the Seahawks, the difference in this game came down to offensive rebounds. UNC-Wilmington grabbed 15 offensive boards to the Dukes' seven. James Madison also was inconsistent from the foul line, hitting 13-23 foul shots.
With the win, UNC-Wilmington sets up a match-up against the top seeded Drexel Dragons Saturday afternoon at noon at the Richmond Coliseum.
For more on the CAA men's basketball tournament 2012, be sure to check out this SB Nation DC StoryStream. Meanwhile, SB Nation's college basketball hub will have all the news and nuggets you need in preparation for March and the madness it brings.