Wilmington, D.C. (Dec. 23, 2020) --- North Carolina-Wilmington scored the first 11 points of each half  and never looked back in an 87-63 men's basketball victory over Delaware State at Trask Coliseum this afternoon. The Seahawks won their third straight game to improve to 6-3 this season, while the Hornets are winless in four games, each on the road.
Ty Gadsden led four UNCW players in double figures with a game-high 21 points (5-10 FG), including 8-for-8 shooting at the free throw line and three three-point field goals.
First-year Hornet Zach Kent (Magnolia, Del.), formerly of St. Andrews HS and the University of Tennessee, came off the bench to lead Delaware State with a career-high 15 points on 7-for-9 shooting from the field, including a three-pointer.  Kent also grabbed four rebounds and recorded his team-high fifth block of the season in the game.
Starting guard Pinky Wiley (sr.) and reserve Omar Peek-Green added 10 points each for the Hornets. Wiley was five-for-five at the free throw line to improve to 16-for-17 this season (94.1%).  He also tied with fellow guard Myles Carter for the team rebound lead with five.
The Seahawks led 11-0 before D'Marco Baucum scored DSU's first points on a shot in the lane at the 16:23 mark of the first half.
The Hornets pulled to within 15-7 on a three-pointer by Peek-Green, but UNCW answered with a 10-3 run over the next four-and-a-half minutes to open up a 25-10 lead.
Delaware State pulled to within nine points late in the first half, but trailed 43-31 at the break.
UNCW started the second half with another 11-0 run, and opened up a 54-31 lead on a jumper by Gadsden with 15:05 left to play.
The Hornets could get no closer than 21 points, while the Seahawks led by as many as 28 the rest of the way.    
Delaware State was 23-for-63 from the field in the game (36.5%), including just four-of-16 on three-point shots (25.0%). The four three-pointers marked a season-low for the Hornets.
UNCW shot 48.2% for the game, hitting on 27 of its 56 shots, including 6-of-17 from beyond the arc (35.3%).
The Hornets return to action on Dec. 30 when they will play at home for the first time this season against Manhattan. Game time is 1:00 p.m. in Memorial Hall. The game was added to DSU's schedule this week.

STINGERS
Wiley has hit at least one three-pointer in each game this season, and in 15 straight dating back to the 2019-20 campaign … DSU was 13-for-16 at the free throw line to improved its season average to 75.9% (60-for-79) … The Hornets outscored UNCW 41-32 in bench points … this was the first men's basketball meeting the schools