March 24 marked the first round-robin tournament for the UNC Wilmington men’s basketball club team. The squad debuted at the Student Recreation Center against NC State at 12 p.m. and UNC Chapel Hill at 3 p.m. They had eight practices before the upcoming tournament and showed that practice pays off.

The first half against NC State was full of turnovers and inefficient offense, and heading into intermission, they trailed 18-15. Then, after a halftime pep talk, by coach Blake Wood, UNCW came flying out of the gate with an 8-0 run. After only 15 points in the first half, they poured in14 points in the first 10 minutes of the second period.

There were a lot of turnovers on both sides of the ball and it showed on the court that UNCW’s team chemistry wasn’t fully developed, but they hit the offensive glass hard in the second half to gain a rebounding advantage. UNCW earned a one-point victory, 44-43. Freshman Josh Gregory led the way with 16 points.

After taking an hour and a half to rest, they returned to the court to face North Carolina. Although UNCW committed 21 fouls and 15 turnovers, they still came out with an impressive 54-47 victory. Bryan Raymond, a junior, recorded a double-double, scoring 16 points and grabbing 12 rebounds. He also had an assist and a steal.

Shooting 60 percent from the field and knocking down four out of six free throw attempts, Raymond was a big contributor to the team’s success. Gregory added 13 points and club vice president Griffin Templeton chipped in 10 points and six rebounds, while going a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

UNCW’s club team finished with a strong showing but has areas to improve. They only shot 61.5 percent from the free throw line and turnovers kept them from winning by bigger margins. But, UNCW’s team performance was highlighted by shooting 49 percent from the field.

“We learned a lot, but we also have a lot that we need to work on,” Wood said. “I’m looking forward to the next couple of weeks of practice and playing at the national tournament at NC State in April.”

Wood also emphasized the fact that his team needs to stay out of foul trouble and this tournament was crucial to team building. “I found out which guys play better together on the court, and we’ll take that into our next upcoming games.”

The national tournament is April 13-15 in Raleigh. UNCW hopes the wins will keep coming.