UNC Wilmington 66, East Carolina 54: Freddie Jackson posted 14 points, 10 rebounds and three steals as the host Seahawks put on an impressive defensive display to down the Pirates.

Cedrick Williams tallied nine points, 12 boards and four blocks for Wilmington (5-3), which set a season high with 11 blocked shots while holding East Carolina to 22.6 percent shooting in the first half and a season-low 28.1 percent for the game. Craig Ponder added 12 points and Addison Spruill chipped in 11 as the Seahawks defeated the Pirates for the 20th time in their last 22 home meetings.

Terry Whisnant went 5-for-13 from the floor and finished with 18 points to lead all scorers for East Carolina (5-6), which has dropped seven straight true road games by an average of 15.6 points. Paris Roberts-Campbell came off the bench to contribute 11 points and was the only other Pirate in double figures.

Jordan Talley and Ponder drained 3-pointers during a 10-0 spurt after some early jockeying to turn a three-point deficit into a seven-point advantage and the margin swelled to 12 following back-to-back buckets from Spruill and Malik Pugh. Whisnant and Caleb White responded with a pair of triples as the Pirates closed within eight, but Williams’ buzzer-beating jumper sent the Seahawks into the break with a 33-23 lead.

After Wilmington increased their bulge to 14 with 11:59 remaining, Roberts-Campbell sparked a bit of a rally with a three-point play and a jumper as East Carolina made it 51-43 less than five minutes later. The Pirates cut their deficit to seven on two occasions in the final two minutes, but Ponder and Spruill each hit two free throws as Wilmington went 7-of-8 from the foul line down the stretch to preserve the victory.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Wilmington has won 22 of its 28 meetings with East Carolina at home. … Outside of Whisnant, the rest of the Pirates’ starters shot a combined 4-for-26 from the field and scored 14 points. … Both teams struggled from the foul line as the Seahawks used their late flurry to finish 19-of-28 while East Carolina went 12-of-22.