DAYTONA BEACH, Florida – UNCW men’s basketball captured its first postseason title after capping off the 10th double-digit comeback win this season to defeat Middle Tennessee State in double overtime, 96-90, in the Roman CBI Championship Wednesday night.

Jaylen Sims’ two clutch free throws with 0.3 seconds remaining tied the game at 70 apiece to force the first of two extra periods. Sims finished the contest with a game-high 28 points and was later named the CBI’s Most Outstanding Player.

The victory comes on the heels of a 22-point comeback win against top-seeded Drake in the semifinals on Monday, adding to the legacy of a 2021 Seahawk squad that refused to quit all season long.

“Whoever wanted it the most, that was going to go take it, was going to win,” Takayo Siddle said in his postgame interview.

The 2021-22 season was certainly one of the most memorable in recent years for UNCW and its fans. However, it is hard to imagine this as anything but the beginning for a Seahawk team that exceeded expectations all season long and proved a lot of people wrong in the process.

This past season, UNCW men’s basketball won more consecutive games than any other team in program history, a CAA regular-season crown, its first postseason championship, and laid a solid foundation for future success.

What that success looks like going forward may be up for debate, but one thing is for certain according to Siddle:

“UNCW Basketball is back.”