It was just the second win for the Tigers in 10 trips to Trask. The victory ended a four-game losing streak for the Tigers who improved to 5-16 and 2-9 in the league. The Seahawks dropped to 7-15 and 3-8 in the CAA.

"I told our guys they (Seahawks) would be playing with a lot of emotion tonight," said Tiger coach Pat Kennedy in the wake of UNC Wilmington's change at the head coach's position as the Seahawks announced at a Friday press conference that Benny Moss had been reassigned. "We also talked about early runs but to fight through them and that's what our guys did tonight."

The Seahawks grabbed the early lead and increased it to eight points, 16-8, before an 11-0 Tigers' run put Towson out front for the first time. Neither team let the other get too far ahead for the rest of the half. There were 10 lead changes before Montez Downey's floater in the lane sent the Seahawks into the lockeroom at halftime with a 33-32 advantage.

Three-point shooting helped UNCW in the opening session but ultimately played a more dismal role for the Seahawks later in the game. UNCW was 5 of 34 from the beyond the arc for the game. They were a respectable 4 of 15 in the first half but an astounding 1 of 19 in the second half. Despite the misses they kept firing away.

The Tigers, meanwhile, were 4 of 7 from long range in the first 20 minutes and finished 4 of 14, almost completely abandoning the three-point attempt in the late going. Instead, Towson was dead on at the free throw line, making 14 of 15 tries including clutch makes by freshman Isaiah Philmore in the closing seconds.

Towson retrieved the lead at the start of the second half with two Calvin Lee buckets that gave the Tigers a three-point advantage. It didn't last long, however, as the game returned to its back-and-forth format. Jarrel Smith's driving layup with 7:30 left on the clock tied the game for the fifth time in the second half. After several stops Josh Thornton's baseline layup at the 4:52 mark put the Tigers out front for good, 50-48. The Tigers were able to successfully defend their lead the rest of the way in the face of some tense moments.

With time winding down and the Tigers protecting a five point lead, Keith Rendleman rebounded a missed John Fields free throw and scored on the put back to close the gap to 56-53 with 1:45 to play. The Tigers worked the clock but Fields grabbed a defensive rebound off a Tiger miss with 30 seconds remaining.

With 11 seconds left Philmore rebounded a Chad Tomko miss. Taking advantage of the double bonus, Philmore made both free throws to seal the Tigers first win in Trask Coliseum since 1983.

Lee showed the way for the Tigers with his third double-double of the season (12 points, 12 rebounds). Thornton finished with 13 points. Smith added 11.

Junior forward Robert Nwankwo, the CAA's leading rebounder and shot blocker who sat out Towson's last two games with a shoulder injury, returned to duty Saturday night against the Seahawks. He played 20 minutes off the bench, scoring two points and grabbing five rebounds. His limited presence in the middle allowed UNCW's Fields to haul down a career high 21 boards.

The Tigers were also without the services of starting point guard Brian Morris who continues to nurse an ankle injury. He's expected to be back in the lineup for the Tigers' next outing.

Towson is back in action Tuesday night when the Tigers travel to Philadelphia for a CAA rematch against the Drexel Dragons. The game will be carried back to Towson on WTMD (89.7 FM) and televised live on Comcast SportsNet Philadelphia. Opening tip is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.