UNC WILMINGTON HOLDS TOWSON TO TOURNAMENT-LOW TOTAL POINTS WITH 50-30 WIN

UNC WILMINGTON HOLDS TOWSON TO TOURNAMENT-LOW TOTAL POINTS WITH 50-30 WIN

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RICHMOND, Va. (March 11, 2010) - Tenth-seeded UNC Wilmington advanced to the quarterfinals for the fourth consecutive season with a 50-30 opening round victory over #7 Towson at the 2010 Virginia 529 College Savings Plan CAA Women's Basketball Championship.

UNC Wilmington (12-18) will face second-seeded and host James Madison at 5 p.m. on Friday, while Towson ends its season 15-15 with the loss.

The Seahawks held the Tigers to just 30 points, which is the fewest number of points scored in a tournament outing.  Old Dominion previously held William & Mary to a tournament-low 35 points at the 1997 championship.

Junior guard/forward Brittany Blackwell (Raleigh, N.C.) led all scorers with a game-high 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds. The Seahawks were also paced by sophomore guard Kristen Hanzer (Youngsville, N.C.), and junior guard/forward Treasure Johnson (Columbus, Ga.), who chipped in nine and eight points.

The Tigers were led by senior guard Shanae Baker-Brice (Washington, D.C.), who was the lone Towson player to post double figures with 11 points. Senior forward Katrina Wheeler (Washington, D.C.) brought down a game-high 11 rebounds.

UNCW shot 42 percent (18-of-43) from the floor and went 13-of-16 (.810) from the charity stripe for the game. Though Towson held a 43-29 rebound advantage, they shot 21 percent (12-of-56) for the game and committed 26 turnovers, to the Seahawks' 16.

The Tigers opened the contest up 3-0 on a Baker-Brice free throw and basket, then Blackwell scored six-straight points to spark a 12-0 Seahawks run, that gave UNCW a 12-3 lead with 10:32 remaining in the first stanza. The Seahawks would never trail again.

Towson started the game 1-for-14 from the floor and went scoreless for nine and a half minutes, before Baker-Brice ended the drought with a jumper in the paint with 9:20 remaining before halftime.

The Seahawks took a 20-13 lead into the locker room. UNCW held the Tigers to 18 percent (5-of-28) shooting in the half, and forced 11 turnovers.

UNC Wilmington opened the second frame with a 15-4 run, capped off by a Hanzer layup with 12:48 remaining in regulation to stretch the lead to 35-17, all but sealing the victory.