https://uncwsports.com/news/2020/1/17/me...skies.aspx
Seahawks End First Rotation With Huskies
WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Two days after battling the CAA's top offensive team, the UNCW men's basketball team tries to break through against the league's stingiest defensive unit on Saturday when Northeastern's Huskies visit Trask Coliseum.
The Seahawks (5-15, 0-7) and Huskies (10-8, 4-2) collide in the first of two regular season meetings in a 7 p.m. tip. Northeastern is allowing just 66.8 points per game, tied for tops in the loop with Towson. The game finishes up the first rotation in the league for the Seahawks, who stand 0-3 at home and 0-4 in road games in league play.
"We just have to figure out who we are," said interim head coach Rob Burke. "It's a long race. We have another leg to go through. After Saturday, we will have seen everybody and we'll be able to make our adjustments."
The Seahawks will be looking to rebound from a tough 63-61 loss to Hofstra late Thursday in a back-and-forth game that featured nine ties and 10 lead changes. The Pride eventually prevailed when sophomore forward Isaac Kante sank the go-ahead layup with 6.5 seconds remaining. The 6-7, 240-pound Kante scored 10 of his 12 points in the second half and teamed up with junior guard Tareq Coburn to help the Pride dodge the upset.
UNCW led by as many as seven points early in the contest, but Hofstra used a balanced scoring attack, with four in double figures, to win in Wilmington for the first time since 2016.
NU, meanwhile, rallied from a 15-point deficit in the second half to notch a key road win at Charleston, 79-76, on Thursday night. The Huskies trailed by 15 points, 55-40, with 16:15 left to play, but stormed back behind senior guards Jordan Roland and Bolden Brace.
Roland comes to the Port City as the CAA's top scorer with a hefty 22.3 ppg clip. The transfer from George Washington also leads the circuit in free throw accuracy and three-point field goals made. He averaged 19.0 points and shot 50 percent in three games vs. UNCW one year ago.
NU has claimed six in a row over UNCW, winning both games in the regular season and another matchup in the CAA Tournament in each of the last two seasons. In the last game between the two teams, All-CAA performer Vasa Pusica keyed an early surge as the No. 2 seeded Huskies led wire-to-wire in an 80-59 victory in the CAA quarterfinals at the North Charleston Coliseum last March.
In the last game between the two clubs in Wilmington, NU shot 57.1 percent in the second half and held UNCW without a field goal during a critical stretch late in the game to trim the Seahawks, 81-77, on Feb. 14, 2019. The Huskies withstood a 17-0 UNCW run late in the first half and erased an 11-point halftime deficit for the road decision.
Following Saturday's game, the Seahawks have their bye week before returning to the floor next Saturday, Jan. 25, at Charleston. UNCW and CofC meet in a 4 p.m. clash at TD Arena.
Seahawk Storylines
The UNCW coaching staff is donning tennis shoes on Saturday to support the NABC's Suits and Sneakers Week. The campaign is designed to bring awareness and support for Coaches vs. Cancer.
Nearly all of the 2000 CAA Championship Team returns to Trask Coliseum for a special recognition at halftime. The squad, coached by Jerry Wainwright, earned the first of the program's six CAA titles.
Saturday marks the 29th meeting between the Seahawks and Huskies. NU has won six straight and owns a 16-12 advantage in the series, but the Huskies have taken six of the last 10 meetings between the two clubs.
The Seahawks have only 11 games remaining - six at home and five on the road.
UNCW owns a 10-16 record against NU skipper Bill Coen, including 6-4 at Trask Coliseum, 3-8 at Matthews Arena, 1-1 at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore and 0-2 at the North Charleston Coliseum.
NU is one of four opponents from Massachusetts for the Seahawks through the years. UNCW owns a 14-21 (.400) record against Massachusetts teams.
Saturday's matchup showcases two teams that cash in at the charity stripe. NU leads the league in free throw shooting at 81.3 percent, while UNCW is connecting on 70.5 percent at the line.
During its 12-game spiral, the Seahawks are shooting 39.7 percent from the field and averaging 62.2 ppg. Opponents are shooting 47.6 percent and collecting 74.5 ppg.