WILMINGTON (AP) — Jeantal Cylla scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds and UNC Wilmington held off a late East Carolina rally to post a 95-86 victory on Tuesday night.
The Seahawks, playing their fourth game in five days, won their second in a row and reached the .500 mark for the first time this season at 4-4. The Pirates dropped their second straight and stand an identical 4-4.
The game marked the 66th meeting between the North Carolina rivals. The Seahawks now lead the series 37-29, with wins in 10 of the last 11 meetings.
Cylla hit a 3 with 12:34 left to put UNCW up by 21, 64-43, but K.J. Davis dunked and added a free throw and Jayden Gardner added a layup with 1:04 left to cut the deficit to 88-81, but the Pirates could get no closer.
Kai Toews finished with a career-high 16 points and 10 assists for the Seahawks, who have now won two straight. Ty Gadsden and Jaylen Fornes each added 15 points.
Gardner finished with a season-high 30 point for ECU. The freshman had 28 points in a 76-64 win over Prairie View A&M last week.
