The UNC Wilmington men’s basketball team gathered before Saturday night’s game to express the need for a “defining game,” the game that this team will be remembered for. In a way, the Seahawks did just that in their loss to conference powerhouse George Mason.

The Seahawks fell, 75-69, to GMU in a quick-paced game that saw both teams make frequent runs at the lead, before the Patriots pulled away for good at the end of the second half. Even in a loss, though, UNCW made strides in improving its defensive pressure and overall tempo, as it finishes out the last few games of its regular season schedule and prepares for the CAA Tournament.

While GMU was able to shoot 50 percent from both inside and outside the three-point line, UNCW’s defense forced the Patriots into 16 turnovers and foiled their attempts at multiple offensive spurts that could have made the game a laugher early on. “I’m happy with the way our kids competed,” UNCW coach Buzz Peterson said. “I felt like they gave us a chance there in the second half.”

That chance could not have been more present than it was at the 17-minute mark in the second half when UNCW’s Cedrick Williams was sent to the free throw line to shoot two with the Seahawks trailing by just one. Williams was unable to come up with either free throw, in a possession that proved to be the UNCW’s best opportunity to capture the lead. George Mason was able to hold a comfortable lead for the rest of the night, extending their advantage to as many as 13 points.

Freshman Adam Smith paced the Seahawks on the offensive side of the ball, scoring 20 points on the night, 14 of which came in the second half. Tanner Milson added 11 points to Smith’s effort, while also dishing out six assists.

“I thought Adam was very aggressive. I thought he attacked the basket nicely,” said Peterson. “Your two guards do a pretty good job there. You hope you can win those.”

Even with the loss, though, UNCW has put itself in position to play spoiler in next month’s CAA conference tournament. The Seahawks have four games remaining on the schedule before heading for Richmond, Virginia in search of an NCAA Tournament berth.

The first of those four games is slated for Tuesday night when the Seahawks travel to Norfolk to take on Old Dominion. Tip is set for 7 p.m.