It was a tale of two halves for the UNC Wilmington women’s basketball team Sunday afternoon. In the Seahawks’ final tune-up before the regular season tips off, UNCW came out sluggish, but eventually turned it around and cruised to a 55-26 victory over UNC Pembroke.

The first half was ugly, as UNCW only put up 20 points on 31 percent shooting. The Seahawks played a stellar man-defense though, holding the Braves to 12 points on 12 percent shooting in the first half.

UNCW coach Cynthia Cooper-Dyke was visibly frustrated with the Seahawks’ first-half effort. “The team just didn’t come out to play, she said. “In the second half, I thought we came out rebounding well, and just working harder.”

The increased intensity seemed to pay off. In the second half, UNCW put up 35 points, shooting close to 40 percent, while holding UNCP to 14 points on 18 percent shooting. The Seahawks started heating up from behind the arc too, hitting four 3-pointers, effectively putting the game away for good.

The UNCW bench contributed greatly, putting up 21 points in relief. Center Karneshia Garrett led scorers with 15 points, and was great on the glass, picking up seven rebounds along the way. The Seahawks dominated the Braves in almost every category, including points off turnovers, points in the paint, second-chance points and fast break points.

UNCW travels to University Park, Penn. Friday to compete in the Lady Lion Classic against Middle Tennessee State.