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WILMINGTON, N.C. – Senior forward Montez Downey poured in a game-high 16 points to lead a balanced attack as UNC Wilmington cruised to a 80-43 victory over North Greenville in a collegiate men’s basketball exhibition action Saturday night at Trask Coliseum.

The Seahawks, who posted their 19th straight exhibition victory with the 37-point thumping, open the 2009-10 season Friday with a road contest at in-state foe Appalachian State. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.

Downey, from Oxford, N.C., was one of three UNCW players to reach double figures. Juniors John Fields and Dominique Lacy pitched in 13 and 11 points, respectively, for the Seahawks, who shot 50.0 percent from the floor and had 13 players find the scorebook in the contest.

Fields pulled down a team-high seven rebounds and redshirt freshman Will Ohuaregbe grabbed six caroms as the Seahawks built a 41-32 edge on the glass. Freshman Keith Rendleman posted a game-high four blocks in his UNCW debut.

Senior forward Kyle Vitko scored a team-high 13 points and added a game-best five steals for the Crusaders, who were limited to a 30.8 field goal percentage, including just 7-for-27 (.257) from the field in the second half. Sophomore Paul Harrison pitched in nine points and a game-best eight rebounds, while junior Kyler Booher and freshman Jimmy Ellis pitched in five points each.

UNCW never trailed in the contest, scoring the first eight points of the game on its way to building an early 13-2 advantage as five different Seahawks scored during the run that lasted 5:39.

The Crusaders responded to UNCW’s quick start, however, by scoring 18 of the next 28 points to pull within three points, 23-20, before a Downey 3-pointer from the top of the key ignited a 17-4 spurt that staked UNCW to a 40-24 lead at intermission.

In the second half, a 14-4 Seahawks run early in the frame increased the UNCW cushion to 54-31 with 13:09 remaining.

Vitko finally answered UNCW’s decisive run with five unanswered points on a jumper in the paint and a trio of free-throws. But another 3-pointer by Downey started the Seahawks on a 22-0 run over an 8:17 stretch and the Seahawks pushed the margin to 76-36 with just over three minutes on the clock.

North Greenville scored seven of the last 11 points of the game to determine the final margin.

- Release Courtesy UNCW

Photo : Calvin McGowan