UNC Wilmington 61, Hampton 60
WILMINGTON, N.C. -- UNC Wilmington overcame a series of offensive woes to defeat visiting Hampton 61-60 on Sunday afternoon at Trask Coliseum.
Keith Rendleman's 23 points and a final-possession defensive stop allowed the Seahawks to prevail, keeping Hampton winless.
Freddie Jackson's lay-in with 1:02 to play provided the go-ahead points.
After a technical foul on the Hampton bench, the Seahawks (3-3) failed to increase their lead, and they gave the ball back to the Pirates on a missed shot with about 30 seconds left.
The Pirates scurried to take a shot on their last possession, but they couldn't launch the ball in time.
The Seahawks, who failed to reach the 50-point mark in their previous three games, eclipsed that barrier with nearly six minutes to play, yet they trailed 54-51 at that point.
Hampton's David Bruce scored 13 points before fouling out. Deron Powers and Du'Vaughn Maxwell added 11 points apiece for the Pirates (0-5).
The Seahawks overcame 21-for-39 free-throw shooting.
UNC Wilmington pulled even at 38-38 on Rendleman's free throw with 14:14 to play. However, Rendleman picked up his third foul shortly after that, leaving Hampton some room to operate in the middle.
Hampton led 21-14 with seven minutes left in the first half, with UNC Wilmington suffering from 11 turnovers and a scoring drought of nearly seven minutes.
Jackson's 3-point basket at the five-minute mark of the first half tied the score at 22-22. Tanner Milson's two free throws pushed the Seahawks into the lead.
By halftime, Hampton was back in the lead at 26-22, with Ramon Mercado hitting a 3-pointer at the buzzer. The Pirates stretched the edge to 34-26 in the first 90 seconds of the second half.
The Seahawks were nearly undone by 3-for-13 shooting on 3-pointers in the first half.
Unlike Friday's atmosphere in the same building, when a few hundred onlookers viewed Hampton's neutral-court loss to Wofford, there was more for the Pirates to contend with as the Seahawks played on their home court.
UNC Wilmington picked up back-to-back victories for the first time since the first week of January.
Rendleman has scored in double figures in 18 consecutive games, the longest active streak among Colonial Athletic Association players. Add in the junior's 15 rebounds, and he notched his 24th career double-double.
The game marked the final clash of the Nations of Coaches Classic, a collection of games with pre-determined matchups.
NOTES: It was the first-ever meeting between Hampton and UNC Wilmington. ... Hampton's first home game won't come until Dec. 1. The Pirates were 1-13 on road last season. ... UNC Wilmington was technically the road team Sunday, so it wore road uniforms for a different look for the home fans. Still, the Seahawks used their normal home bench. ... The Seahawks improved to 3-0 on their home court this season.
