Defensive stops at the end of regulation are becoming a common theme for the UNC Wilmington men’s basketball team.

On Saturday night, the Seahawks led Towson by two points with less than 20 seconds remaining after an Addison Spruill free throw and, once again, were able to clamp down on the defensive end to pull out the victory.

Towson’s Eddie Keith drove right at Spruill on the ensuing possesion but lost control of his dribble and turned the ball over. Two more free throws from Spruill clinched a 69-65 win for the Seahawks.

“I knew he was going to attack,” Spruill said. “I was just trying to force him left and keep it from his right hand. When he went right, he turned it over.”

The Seahawks (11-8, 6-2) led throughout much of the contest and looked like they would cruise to victory. UNCW led 61-48 with 13 minutes left, but couldn’t put Towson away.

The Tigers came roaring back and actually tied the game at 62 on Keith’s free throw with 1:43 remaining in the game. After Jordan Talley fouled out and Freddie Jackson reinjured his ankle, it looked like the Seahawks might let one slip away.

However, on the next possession Craig Ponder drew a foul while converting a layup to make the score 65-62 and put the Seahawks up for good.

“We’re learning every game,” UNCW coach Kevin Keatts said. “In every game we happen to win it on the defensive end. We didn’t have a great offensive night but we found ways to win and I’m really proud of these guys.”

Senior forward Cedrick Williams played his best game of the season and powered the Seahawks in front of an electric crowd at Trask Coliseum.

It was his second consecutive start, and the senior forward rewarded Coach Keatts with intensity and energy throughout the game. Williams led the Seahawks with 22 points and 14 rebounds.

“My mindset was to just go in and attack,” Williams said. “Go inside and out and I felt like I did that. It was a great win.”

Coach Keatts elected to start Williams over Spruill because he was concerned with Towson’s rebounding. The Tigers came into tonight’s game as the 20^th best rebounding team in the country, but only outrebounded UNCW 42-41.

A season-high 4,568 fans attended Saturday night’s matchup to watch the Seahawks win their third straight game. After the final whistle, coach Keatts grabbed the Trask microphone and thanked all the fans for their support.

“I told everybody, when our students get back we’re going to have the best crowd in the CAA,” Coach Keatts said. “It showed tonight. It was really good, and it was really loud.”

The win moves UNCW into a three-way tie with Northeastern and William & Mary at the top of the CAA standings.

The Seahawks will return to action on Wednesday night when they host in-state rival Elon. The team that was predicted to finish ninth in the CAA will play meaningful conference games in late January and February with a regular season title still in the picture.