UNC Wilmington holds off late East Carolina rally, 95-86

Nov 28, 2019, 11:32 am

WILMINGTON, N.C. -- Jeantal Cylla scored 20 points and grabbed eight rebounds and UNC Wilmington held off a late East Carolina rally to post a 95-86 victory on Tuesday night.

The game marked the 66th meeting between the North Carolina rivals. The Seahawks now lead the series 37-29.

Cylla hit a 3 with 12:34 left to put UNC Wilmington up by 21, 64-43, but K.J. Davis dunked and added a free throw and Jayden Gardner added a layup with 1:04 left to cut the deficit to 88-81, but the Pirates could get no closer.

Kai Toews finished with a career-high 16 points and 10 assists for the Seahawks (4-4), who have now won two straight. Ty Gadsden and Jaylen Fornes each added 15 points.

Gardner finished with a season-high 30 point for East Carolina (4-4). The freshman had 28 points in a 76-64 win over Prairie View A&M last week.