WILMINGTON, N.C. (Jan. 3, 2026) … UNCW (14-2, 3-0) took down Hampton (8-8, 2-1) in a defensive battle Saturday night inside of Trask Coliseum. The Pirates rallied early in the second half, but ultimately fell to the defending CAA champions 49-45. 
 
UNCW jumped out to an early 12-2 lead Saturday night as Patrick Wessler poured in six quick points for the Seahawks over the course of the first four minutes.  The Pirates quickly countered that spurt with a 10-0 of their own to bring the score even at 12 with 11 minutes left in the first half. 
 
Out of the media timeout, Elijah Kennedy continued his strong early play with an and-one to give Hampton their first lead of the night. Over the course of the next five minutes, the Seahawks regained the lead, holding onto a 22-16 lead. UNCW continued to grow that lead, taking a 27 to 18 lead into the break. 
 
Hampton was led by Daniel Johnson's eight first half points, while Kennedy added four. Xzavier Long recorded six first half rebounds, while also leading the Pirates with two assists. UNCW held Hampton to just 30.0 perfect shooting in the first half to take a nine-point lead into the break. 
 
Etienne Strothers exploded out of the gates to start the second half draining back-to-back threes, followed by a layup to cap a 10-0 Pirate run, helping Hampton regain the lead at 28-27 just two minutes into the half.
 
Both sides traded blows over the course of the next ten minutes, as UNCW held a 41-37 lead at the under eight media timeout. UNCW used a 9-0 run in that timeframe to take a 44-39 lead with five minutes remaining. 

The Seahawks were able to maintain their lead over the final five minutes, and eventually took down Hampton 49-45. Hampton was led by Strothers' 12 points on the night, while Long added nine points and 15 rebounds. The Pirates held UNCW to their lowest total on the year, as the Seahawks shot just 38.8 percent from the field on the night. 
 
Hampton returns to action Thurs., Jan. 8 when they travel to Campbell. Tipoff is set for 7:00 p.m.