NCAA Tournament 2017, Virginia vs UNC Wilmington: Highlights, score and recap

The UNC Wilmington Seahawks pushed the Virginia Cavaliers to the brink, but the Wahoos advanced to the Second Round of March Madness

Basketball is a game of runs, or so they say. While it’s a clichéd phrase thrown around probably too often in March Madness, the Virginia Cavaliers and UNC Wilmington Seahawks brought some truth to it in the first half as they faced off in the East Region’s 5-12 First Round matchup in Orlando.

After falling just shy of an upset against an ACC foe one year ago, the Seahawks looked poised for another. They jumped out to a double digit lead over the Cavaliers, with Ambrose Mosley and Denzel Ingram exploiting the stout Virginia defense with their small-ball approach. However, Tony Bennett reached to his bench and matched what UNCW was doing, spearheading a run of his own.

Junior guard Marial Shayok came off the bench and absolutely burned UNC Wilmington. London Perrantes contributed in a big way as well as the duo were able to both penetrate through a shaky Seahawks halfcourt defense and then capitalize on that with shots from the perimeter. As a result, they took a 30-29 lead into the half.

Though the CAA Champions kept pace with Virginia out of the locker room early, Bennett’s team continued to attack with the same small-ball approach. That allowed them to get out to a double-digit lead of their own. Coming back to the game of runs once again, however, Ingram came up with a pair of big buckets to cut the lead back down to just two scores.

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Virginia then suffered a definite injury scare with about five minutes remaining in the First Round contest. Perrantes drove and missed a shot near the rim, but the rebound wasn’t secured by UNCW. Subsequently, there was a battle for a loose ball and the star point guard walked away holding his wrist. He had to go to the bench to get looked at by trainers. Lucky for the Wahoos, though, he returned shortly after.

Perrantes’ return, however, didn’t stop the Seahawks from keeping things interesting. Despite a horrid shooting game—1 for 8 at this point—C.J. Flemmings came up big as he pulled UNCW within two with under two minutes remaining. After an ugly Virginia possession, though, the Cavaliers found a short jumper to go back up by for. The Seahawks then had a miscommunication early in their next possession and turned it over.

Though Perrantes missed one of his two ensuing free throws, UNC Wilmington couldn’t convert on their next possession, thus punching Virginia’s ticket to the Second Round.

Highlights

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Three Stars

London Perrantes, Virginia – The veteran star for the Cavaliers, Perrantes was phenomenal after the team gained their footing following the UNCW early run. He finished the afternoon with 24 points and three assists.

Marial Shayok, Virginia – Bennett’s move to bring Shayok off of the bench was the moment that made this a game at all. Shayok delivered in a big way for his team as he stepped up to deliver 23 points, three rebounds and two steals.

Denzel Ingram, UNCW – While teammates C.J. Bryce and Chris Flemmings struggled mightily offensively, Ingram was an absolute star. He finished the game with 17 points and three assists, though his percentages suffered due to late-game desperation mode.