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The Campbell Camels and UNC-Wilmington Seahawks have a history that dates back to 1952, when Campbell defeated Wilmington 96-62 at Carter Gymnasium. The Seahawks lead the all-time series 65-44, and are winners of eight out of their last ten meetings. These two teams met earlier this month on February 3rd at Trask Coliseum, where UNCW came out with a narrow 77-74 victory. When you combine the revenge factor for Campbell with the history of the rivalry between the two programs, the game was bound to be exciting, and exciting it was, broadcast for the entire country to see on national television on CBS Sports Network.
As many people know, winning on the road in college basketball is difficult at any level. It sure doesn't help when the student body and fan base of a school show up and give a home team a supreme advantage in a matchup. That is exactly what happened last night at Gore Arena. That was the best crowd I have witnessed at Campbell this year and from the jump, their presence was felt.
Both teams played very tense for the first three to four minutes of the game. Campbell's defense was assertive early and their press was tighter and not as far down the court which forced UNCW to have to make really smart passes to get the ball across. UNCW has a plethora of talented, quick guards who know how to press and be dynamic defensively in the open floor. They were pressing as well and Campbell was consistently getting set up into their sets late with around 22 seconds left in the shot clock.
The main differentiator in the first half was Campbell took care of the ball on offense and forced turnovers on defense. Trazarien White with a 14-point first half on 6-9 shooting from the field to keep the game at arm's length. Anthony Dell'Orso led the way for the Camels with 13 points and they went into the break with momentum.
The second half saw Campbell obtain the game's largest lead, seventeen, with 11:17 remaining in the contest. The first 8:43 of the second half was the UNCW defense giving up easy cuts for Campbell baskets. The Camels were making them pay by being unselfish and making those easy looks at an efficient clip, shooting 58.6% from the field in the first half and 53.8% in the second half. But even despite having a seventeen-point lead, we are reminded constantly that basketball is a game of runs and UNCW got the game within ten points at the under eight-minute media timeout (7:17).
The final 7:17 of the game would be a back-and-forth that included a leg injury to Shykeim Phillips, who was hobbled for the remainder of the game, a NASTY poster dunk by Elijah Walsh, and a game-tying three by Maleeck Harden-Hayes.
Elijah Walsh's Poster Dunk
UNCW would tie it at 81 a piece with 18 seconds remaining and the game would head into what would eventually be DOUBLE overtime. The first overtime was a back-and-forth affair that eventually would end with UNCW's Trazarien White sinking two clutch free throws to tie the game at 91 a piece and a block at the other end to prevent a game-winner by Campbell's Jasin Sinani. The second overtime was where the tide turned for the Camels and it involved the previously mentioned players, Sinani and White.
With 1:12 remaining in the second overtime, Jasin Sinani played incredible on-ball defense on White that would lead to a steal by Campbell's Laurynas Vaistaras. On the final play of the game for UNCW, White drove to his left and was met by the same great defense by Sinani that occurred just over a minute prior (as well as two more Camel help defenders). Jasin would eventually hit two game-winning free throws, to give him 13 points in the two overtime periods, and to seal the victory for the Camels. The clock expired and the students and fans stormed the court to celebrate their program's first win over the Seahawks since 2019.
Campbell head coach Kevin McGeehan spoke post-game about the final defensive possession by the Camels that sealed the victory:
"LV [Laurynas Vaistaras] had been on him [Trazarien White] for a stretch there and he seemed to have his way a little bit and then we switched Jasin [Sinani] onto him for probably the last three or four [minutes]. ...everyone knew, thats what we were saying the timeout, 13 [Trazarien White] is shooting it but I still didn't feel comfortable sending another guy because 0 [KJ Jenkins] and 1 [Donovan Newby] are such good shooters. As that play is happening I was like well they are going to call a foul... but we figured out a way to gut that one out and come up with the ball."
I asked Jasin what he saw from Trazarien White on those two plays that allowed him to make the defensive stops. This was his response:
"No doubt about it, he [Trazarien White] got going in overtime. We made a defensive change and put me on him. Our coaches do a great job of doing the scout and having a great game plan. Coach Monty [Sanders] did a great job scouting White. He's such a great scorer but he found out his tendencies. When it was my job to guard him, I stuck to the game plan and stuck to the scout that Coach Monty had and it ended up working out. Credit to the coaches, I am just out there giving 100% and it ended up working out tonight."
As I absorb this game and reflect on what occurred, I believe my takeaway for each team is simple. For UNCW, my sentiments remain the same as what they were when I covered their victory over Charleston over a month ago. This is a team that is matchup-proof. They have a balanced attack offensively, a deep and experienced guard rotation that can defend at a high level, a great coach who knows how to adjust, and a go-to player in clutch situations in Trazarien White. Not to mention this is a battle-tested team with some very impressive wins on their resume this season which begs the question... Why can't they upset a team in March Madness? Because I sure as heck think they can.
As for Campbell, my thoughts are simple. This is a team that, I first hand can attest, is very talented, plays within itself, and has an incredible work ethic and chemistry. Coach McGeehan has preached all year to this team about getting better every day and these big wins on the Camel's resume are examples of that coming to fruition. Campbell has found its defensive identity and if Anthony Dell'Orso, Jasin Sinani, and company continue on their trajectory and play to their potential, we have a serious dark-horse team that could make real noise at the CAA conference tournament in Washington D.C. in less than two weeks. Camel fans might be feeling a little Déjà Vu.
Both teams suit up again on Thursday, February 29th at 7 pm EST. UNCW's next game is at home against Hofstra and Campbell's is at College of Charleston. Both games can be viewed on FloHoops. Follow along on X (@TrevorEverette) for more content and read my work for House of College Hoops and House Enterprise here.