NORFOLK, Va. – Senior guard T.J. Carter, seen right, and senior center Vladimir Kuljanin ignited a furious second-half rally to help UNC Wilmington come from 19 points down for a thrilling 68-65 victory over Old Dominion in Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball action Wednesday night at the Ted Constant Center.

   The Seahawks extended their winning streak to five games with their third conference road victory of the season to improve to 14-8 overall and 7-3 in the CAA. The Monarchs dipped to 10-12 and 5-5.

   UNCW snapped an eight-game losing streak to ODU and won for the first time in Norfolk since a 71-67 verdict back on Dec. 21, 2001, in the now-demolished ODU Field House.

Carter, right, a 6-3, 200-pound glider, poured in 25 points to lead all scorers in the contest, canning 9-for-18 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 at the free throw line. The Mechanicsville, Md., product added nine rebounds and three assists in 38 minutes on the floor.

Kuljanin, meanwhile, notched his ninth double-double of the season and the 17th of his career with 20 points and 12 rebounds. The wide-body Canadian scored 13 points after intermission as the Seahawks stunned the Monarchs and their 6,792 fans with the late surge.

Senior guard Abdi Lidonde was the only player in double figures for the Monarchs with 16 points, but was held to just two points in the second half after making five of his six field goal attempts in the first period, including 4-for-5 behind the arc.

   In one of the most improbable comebacks in school history, the Seahawks appeared dead in the water when they were trailing 45-26 with 18:31 remaining in the game. But Carter, Kuljanin and Company went to work, chipping away at the lead and eventually pulling the game out to maintain a share of second place in the circuit with William & Mary and George Mason.

Still behind 55-40 at the 12:11 mark, UNCW reeled off nine consecutive points to slice the deficit to 55-49 on a driving layup by freshman forward Dominique Lacy. Kuljanin’s layup at 10:38 had kickstarted the rally and the Seahawks closed out the game with a 28-10 run.

UNCW finally tied the game with 4:03 showing when Kuljanin found Todd Hendley all alone under the basket and the senior forward dropped the ball in to knot the score at 61-all.

   ODU regained the lead, 65-63, on a putback by Darius James with 1:04 showing, but Carter drained a triple from the top of the key with 35 seconds on the clock and then stole a pass on the other end of the floor. He was fouled and made both ends of a bonus situation to give the Seahawks a 68-65 advantage with 9.5 seconds left.

   Lidonde and Brian Henderson missed consecutive three-point attempts in the waning seconds, giving UNCW its first win in five tries at the Constant Center. Carter ended up scoring UNCW’s final seven points of the contest and led the team in scoring for the 12th time this season.

   The Monarchs built a 15-point halftime cushion, 41-26, behind Lidonde’s hot shooting and appeared in control early in the second half. But UNCW flexed its defensive muscles, holding the Monarchs to 0-for-10 from 3-point range after intermission and 38.8 percent for the game.

UNCW, meanwhile, wound up shooting 45.8 percent from the floor and outrebounding ODU, 42-35.

   The Seahawks continue their three-game league road swing Saturday with a 7 p.m. start at William & Mary. It will be the first of two meetings in 11 days between the Seahawks and Tribe.

GAME NOTES: UNCW committed 15 turnovers in the game…The Seahawks went 5-for-17 from 3-point range…T.J. Carter and Vladimir Kuljanin each had nine field goals…ODU started three freshman, a sophomore and a senior…Kuljanin, Carter and freshman Chad Tomko had three assists apiece to lead the Seahawks…None of ODU’s starters reach double figures…ODU leads the all-time series, 23-16…UNCW had seven more field goals than ODU in the second half…The Seahawks committed only four turnovers in the second half. 

 -Courtesy UNCW Sports Information :  Photo-Eric Bartsch