Recap: UNC-Wilmington vs. Towson

Wilmington, NC (Sports Network) - Jerrelle Benimon's 19 points paced the Towson Tigers as they escaped with a 79-74 road win over the UNC Wilmington Seahawks in the Colonial Athletic Association opener at Trask Coliseum.

Benimon also contributed eight rebounds, five assists and five blocks for Towson (6-8, 1-0 CAA), which led by as many as 20 in the contest. Bilal Dixon tallied 14 points and eight boards, while Mike Burwell and Marcus Damas scored 13 and 11 points, respectively. All eight players who took the court for Towson scored.

Craig Ponder scored 23 points for UNC Wilmington (5-9, 0-1), reaching double figures for the third consecutive game. Keith Rendleman scored 14 points and brought down a career-high 21 rebounds for his third straight double-double. He also registered three blocks and four steals. Tyree Graham contributed 18 points off the bench.

The Tigers made 4-of-6 attempts from behind the arc in the first half and jumped out to a 44-28 halftime edge. Both teams took care of the ball, combining for just five turnovers in the first half.

Trailing by 17 with 5:55 remaining, the Seahawks went on an impressive run to cut the deficit to as little as three with 20 seconds remaining, but they could not complete the comeback

The Tigers have now won consecutive games for the second time this season after dropping their previous four contests.