Freshman forward Cedrick Williams scored 22 points to lead UNC Wilmington past James Madison 70-59 Friday in a first-round game in the Colonial Athletic Association tournament.
Williams, who doubled his previous career best, scored the ninth-seeded Seahawks' final seven points of the first half, when they took a 34-25 lead after a 13-3 run.
UNC Wilmington (10-20), which snapped a six-game losing streak, led by as many as 23 points in the second half before the eighth-seeded Dukes (12-20) cut it to 60-53 with 1:43 left. Four free throws by Williams, four by Tanner Milson and two by Adam Smith down the stretch protected the lead.
Keith Rendleman scored 14 points and Milson and Smith 12 each for the Seahawks, who will play top-seeded Drexel in the quarterfinals Saturday.
Humpty Hitchens and Arman Parks scored 12 points each for James Madison, which beat UNC Wilmington 69-61 in their regular-season meeting.
