WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) - Jerrelle Benimon scored 19 points, and Towson held off UNC Wilmington 79-74 on Wednesday in the Colonial Athletic Association opener for both teams.

Bilal Dixon scored 14 points and matched Benimon's eight rebounds, Mike Burwell had 13 points and Marcus Damas added 11 for the Tigers (6-8).

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Craig Ponder scored 23 points, Tyree Graham had 18, and Keith Rendleman had 14 points and 21 rebounds for the Seahawks (5-8).

The Tigers led 59-40 on Marcus Damas' layup with 11:53 remaining, but the Ospreys battled back. They closed to 71-65 on Graham's 3-pointer with 2:24 to go, and 72-68 on another Graham 3-pointer with 59 seconds left. He made four 3-pointers from 59-40 to keep the Ospreys close with the Tigers.

With 20 seconds left, Ponder made two foul shots to narrow the margin to 75-72, but the Tigers held on.

The Ospreys outscored the Tigers 46-35 in the second half.