The College of Charleston men’s basketball team overcame a significant first-half deficit to secure a 79-76 victory over UNCW on Sunday night in Wilmington, North Carolina. With this win, Charleston concludes its regular season with a record of 21-10 and secures the No. 2 seed for the upcoming 2026 Air Force Reserve CAA Men’s Basketball Championship.
Charleston started strong with Colby Duggan scoring the team’s first points, while UNCW was held scoreless for the opening minutes. Both teams struggled offensively early in the game, with UNCW leading 13-10 at the eleven-minute mark. The Seahawks then went on a 9-0 run and took a 35-23 lead into halftime. Duggan led Charleston at halftime with six points.
In the second half, Charleston held UNCW without a field goal to start and used a run led by Jlynn Counter to reduce the deficit. Counter initiated a 10-2 run that brought Charleston within four points at 46-42 with thirteen minutes remaining.
The teams continued to trade baskets until Connor Hickman cut UNCW’s lead to two points late in the game. Chris Davis Jr. tied it up on the next possession, setting a new career-high for himself in points scored. Charleston kept UNCW from scoring from the field for nearly five minutes while going on a decisive 12-1 run, capped by another three-pointer from Hickman.
After taking the lead, Charleston maintained control by converting five of their last six field goals and making key free throws down the stretch.
Jlynn Counter finished as top scorer with 23 points—20 of which came in the second half—and added seven assists. Chris Davis Jr. set his career-high with 17 points, while Connor Hickman contributed ten points including two crucial three-pointers late in the game. Christian Reeves led Charleston in rebounds with six boards.
Charleston narrowly outshot UNCW by one percentage point (43% to 42%) and scored most of their points—54 out of 79—in the second half while shooting 53% during that period. Despite being outrebounded by UNCW (47-28), Charleston did not commit any turnovers after halftime and made ten three-pointers for the eighth time this season.
This win marks Charleston’s sixth comeback victory when trailing at halftime this year and ends a six-game losing streak against UNCW.
Charleston will now wait for final bracket details ahead of their appearance in the CAA Championship tournament beginning March 8 in Washington, D.C.
