http://uncwsports.com/news/2015/12/27/MB...52409.aspx
Seahawks Wrap Up Non-Conference Slate With Camels
WILMINGTON, North Carolina – The UNCW men's basketball team gets back to work after the Christmas holiday when longtime rival Campbell visits Trask Coliseum Monday for the 101st meeting between the two teams.
The Seahawks, 7-3, conclude their non-conference schedule with Monday's 8 p.m. contest against the Camels. UNCW opened the season with five consecutive wins, dropped three in a row and has now won two straight heading into the non-conference finale.
Coach Kevin Keatts and his club are rejuvenated following a pair of convincing victories last week in Louisville's Billy Minardi Classic at the KFC Yum! Center. Senior guard Craig Ponder scored 29 points as the Seahawks bounced back to win the final two games of a five-game road swing in convincing fashion.
Junior guard Chris Flemmings and Ponder anchor a balanced attack with 14.1 and 13.2 averages. The Seahawks lead the Colonial Athletic Association with 84.5 points per game while shooting 44.6 percent from the field, 27.6 percent behind the arc and 69.0 percent at the free throw line.
UNCW ranks fourth nationally in turnover margin (6.7) and 10th in steals per game (9.8). The Seahawks are also ninth in turnovers forced (18.0) and 14th overall in fewest turnovers (113).
Monday marks the team's first appearance at Trask Coliseum in 28 days since a 93-73 dismantling of NCAA Division II Coker back on Dec. 2. It's also the first time Keatts has faced Campbell on his home floor.
The Camels, meanwhile, bring a 7-4 record into Monday's matchup following an 18-point loss to CAA member College of Charleston last Tuesday. Troy Harper paced four Camels in double figures against the Cougars with 25 points. Kyre' Hamer added 15 points, Chris Clemons collected 14 and D.J. Mason had 11 for Coach Kevin McGeehan's club.
Clemons tops four CU players averaging in double figures this season with 17.5 points per game. Harper is averaging 13.1 ppg, Hamer is at 10.7 ppg and Mason is averaging 10.6.
Campbell, which has won six of its last eight contests, is shooting 43.9 percent from the floor, 32.9 percent behind the arc and 66.5 percent at the free throw line. The Camels are 2-2 on the road early in 2015-16.
Monday marks the 101st meeting between the two longtime rivals since the series began in the fall of 1952. UNCW leads the all-time series, 57-43, including a 36-14 record in Wilmington and a commanding 37-12 advantage in NCAA Division I play.
The Seahawks, who stand 22-2 against the Camels at Trask Coliseum since the 5,100-seat venue opened in the fall of 1977, have taken six of the last 10 clashes between the two longtime rivals.
In last year's installment in Buies Creek, Campbell shot 54.2 percent from the floor - the best for a UNCW opponent on the season - to win the 100th meeting, 69-63, on Dec. 23, 2014, at the Edwin Pope Center in Buies Creek. The Camels had three players collect 15 points apiece and forced 16 Seahawk turnovers to keep UNCW winless in three tries at the Pope Center. Junior forward Dylan Sherwood came off the bench to lead four Seahawks in double figures with 12 points.
Following Monday's tilt, the Seahawks open Colonial Athletic Association play on Thursday, Dec. 31, with a New Year's Eve clash against Drexel at 1 p.m.
All of UNCW's games are carried live on the Seahawk Digital Network. Fans can visit UNCWsports.com, click the Live Events button, and select the game for a free audio and video feed of the contest. Seahawk basketball may also be heard over the radio airwaves on The Beach 94.1 FM/WLSG 1340 AM in Wilmington and New Hanover County and Freedom 97.1 FM/WSME 1120 AM in Jacksonville and Onslow County.
Season tickets are still available by visiting the UNCW Athletics Ticket Office in Trask Coliseum, calling 1-800-808-UNCW or clicking on the Tickets button via UNCWSports.com. Tickets start as low as $99, with 5 and 8-game mini-plans also available.
