WILMINGTON, N.C. – Old Dominion used a decisive 18-5 run midway through the second half to scoot past UNC Wilmington, 70-52, in a Colonial Athletic Association men’s basketball game Wednesday at Trask Coliseum. Tune into the Cape Fear Sports Report on Sunday at noon on WWAY for a complete recap and insight of the season to date as Jim Dallke talks UNCW hoops.

The Monarchs won their fourth straight and seventh in eight games to improve to 13-5 overall and remained in a tie for first place in the CAA at 5-1. The Seahawks lost for the second consecutive time and now stand at 6-10 and 2-4.

Senior center Gerald Lee led all scorers with 16 points on 6-for-11 shooting, including 13 in the first half. Junior forward Frank Hassell was one of three Monarchs to score 10 points and completed his second double-double of the season with a game-high 15 rebounds. Junior swing man Ben Finney and Darius James each added 10 points for ODU, which shot 42.6 percent from the field.

Junior guard Chad Tomko was high man for the Seahawks with nine points. UNCW wound up hitting just 33.3 percent, including 28.6 percent behind the 3-point line, and committed 17 turnovers.

Lee scored 13 points in the first half as ODU raced out to an early 11-point lead and settled for a 34-30 edge at the break. ODU pushed the margin to 42-34 on a bucket inside by Finney at 17:28 before junior Darryl Felder keyed a 6-0 mini-run. Felder’s free throw at the 15-minute mark chopped the lead to 42-40 at the 15-minute mark.
But the Monarchs answered with seven points to stretch the lead back to 49-42 with 12:18 remaining as part of their 18-5 spurt. Lee hauled in a high pass and converted a layup with 4:21 remaining to finish up a 7-0 run at the end of the rally and gave ODU a 60-45.
ODU’s biggest lead of the game, 70-48, came with 33 seconds remaining on a three-pointer by James.
After UNCW jumped out to a 7-4 advantage on senior Johnny Wolf’s bucket in the lane with 16:53 left in the first half, ODU took control with a 16-2 run. Lee connected on a hook shot on the right baseline to kick start the rally and then sank a layup with 10:15 remaining to increase ODU’s lead to a 20-9.
The Seahawks rallied late in the first period to get within striking distance. Trailing 30-21, UNCW scored six unanswered points, capped by a pair of free throws from John Fields, that helped UNCW creep within 30-27. Junior Ahmad Grant then drained a three-pointer from the right corner 54 seconds later to slice the margin to 32-30.
Lee gave ODU a 34-30 lead at the break by dropping in a pair of free throws with 32 seconds left in the opening period.
The Seahawks open a three-game road trip on Saturday with a 1 p.m. start at Northeastern. The Monarchs return home on Saturday to entertain Drexel at the Ted Constant Center at 7 p.m.
GAME NOTES: Hassell’s 10 boards was his third 10-rebound game of the season…ODU leads the all-time series, 25-18…The Monarchs are the only team in the CAA with a winning record at Trask Coliseum, pushing their record to 11-8 in Wilmington…ODU came up with 18 offensive rebounds…UNCW held a 19-15 advantage on the glass in the first half before being outrebounded, 30-16, after intermission…ODU owned a 38-16 margin in the paint…ODU scored 21 points off UNCW’s 17 turnovers…UNCW now stands 3-4 at home this season…ODU is 4-3 away from the Ted Constant Center…The contest was the only regular season meeting between the two teams in 2009-10.
-Courtesy UNCW
Photo: Rodney Williams