Charleston walked into a matchup of two hot teams and walked out with the result that matters most: a 79-76 win over NC Wilmington on March 2, 2026.
NC Wilmington entered at 25-5 and riding a LWWWW stretch. Charleston arrived 21-10 and in peak form with five straight wins — and it played like it in the second half, flipping a 12-point halftime deficit into a three-point final margin.
Game flow: Charleston turns halftime deficit into a late-game edge
The first half belonged to the Seahawks. NC Wilmington took a 35-23 lead into the break, controlling the scoreboard and putting Charleston in immediate catch-up mode.
After halftime, the game changed. Charleston’s 56-point second half overwhelmed NC Wilmington’s 41 after the break, a swing that ultimately decided the outcome. The Cougars’ ability to generate offense at a higher gear — and sustain it — erased the deficit and created enough separation to withstand a final push.
Turning point: the second-half surge
Down 12 at halftime, Charleston didn’t need perfection — it needed a run, then another, and finally the composure to finish. The Cougars’ second-half output (56 points) did the heavy lifting, forcing NC Wilmington to play from a narrower margin than it carried early.
For the Seahawks, the issue wasn’t the start; it was the inability to match Charleston’s pace after the break. When the game shifted into a possession-by-possession finish, Charleston had already banked the momentum swing it needed.
What it means going forward
Charleston’s win reinforces the profile of a team trending in the right direction — not just winning, but winning in a hostile spot against a 25-win opponent. The Cougars improved to 21-10 and kept their five-game run intact, showing they can take a punch early and still control the second half.
NC Wilmington drops to 25-5, and while the overall résumé remains strong, this one stings because the Seahawks had the game positioned at halftime. The takeaway is clear: against a team capable of scoring 56 after the break, the margin for second-half stagnation disappears fast.
Final
Charleston 79, NC Wilmington 76