https://uncwsports.com/news/2020/2/5/men...oenix.aspx
Men's Basketball 2/5/2020 4:00:00 PM Joe Browning
Seahawks Eye Rematch With Phoenix
WILMINGTON, North Carolina – There's good news and some not-so-good news for interim UNCW men's basketball coach Rob Burke on the eve of his team's next Colonial Athletic Association test with visiting Elon.
The good? The Seahawks are back home in Wilmington, where they'll play five of their last seven games in the friendly confines of Trask Coliseum.
The bad? Freshman point guard Shykeim Phillips remains sidelined in the concussion protocol, and his status remains up in the air for both games this weekend.
"It's a next man up situation for us," said Burke. "The grind has definitely hit. But we have enough in the locker room. I feel confident with our roster that we can come out, especially with the energy that Trask provides, and play well. It's all hands on deck…everyone has to be ready to play.
"We're trying to continue to move forward. We're trying to get better. We're moving forward as a team that shares the ball and plays the game the right way. I'm confident that you'll see a different ball club that showed up the first time at Elon."
"Defensive transition will be critical. They are the best three-point shooting team in the league. We have to eliminate three's and can't get beaten on the glass. They're a very good team and extremely confident."
UNCW, 7-17 overall and 2-9 in the CAA, plays host to Elon, 7-17 and 3-8, in a 7 p.m. tip on Thursday. The Phoenix rallied in the second half for an 80-63 decision over the Seahawks back on Jan. 11 at the Schar Center. Both clubs are trying to climb in the CAA standings; Elon holds down eighth place, while UNCW shares last place with James Madison.
In their most recent game, the Seahawks dropped an 83-66 verdict last Saturday at James Madison. The Dukes got off to a quick start and junior guard Matt Lewis scored 19 of his 21 points in the second half in UNCW's final appearance at the JMU Convocation Center.
Junior guard Mike Okauru of UNCW led all scorers with 22 points on 9-of-15 shooting. Lewis, who was held to two points on 1-of-3 shooting in the first half, got untracked after intermission to thwart several comeback bids by the Seahawks.
Elon, meanwhile, upset Northeastern, 74-69, at home behind graduate guard Marcus Sheffield II. Sheffield scored 28 points and Hunter McIntosh added 24 as Elon shot 61 percent (27-for-44) for the game, including 53 percent (10-for-19) from behind the arc. McIntosh earned CAA Rookie of the Week honors, giving the Phoenix the honor four times this season.
In the first pairing between the Seahawks and Phoenix in early January, freshman guard Zac Ervin led all scorers with 27 points on 9-of-14 from the floor, 7-of-12 from long distance and 2-of-2 at the free throw stripe. Okauru paced the Seahawks with 15 points, while sophomore guard Jaylen Sims chipped in 12. Down 38-33 at halftime, Elon capitalized on UNCW's cold start in the final period to catch up and then build a comfortable margin. The Seahawks missed their first 13 field goal attempts in the second half and the Phoenix capitalized, outscoring UNCW in the final period, 47-25.
In last year's installment at Trask Coliseum, Tyler Seibring exploded for a career-high 32 points, including 21 points in the second half, to propel Elon past UNCW, 89-82, on January 26, 2019. Seibring converted 12-of-16 from the field and all three of his free throws to anchor four Elon players in double figures. Junior guard Ty Gadsden paced the Seahawks with 22 points and Devontae Cacok notched his 16th double-double of the season with 20 points and 19 rebounds. Elon canned eight of its first 14 field goals to grab control early and withstood several runs by the Seahawks to win at Trask Coliseum for the first time.
Thursday's contest will be carried over the air on The Breeze, 95.9 FM, with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro and color analyst Marty Feurer on the call. The game may be heard worldwide on the station's website,
http://www.959thebreeze.com. A live video stream is available on FloSports.
Following Thursday, the Seahawks remain home to entertain William & Mary on Saturday in the annual Homecoming Game at 7 p.m.
Seahawk Storylines
Thursday marks the 24th meeting between the two schools, but just the 13th as CAA opponents. UNCW owns a 12-11 advantage in the series and has taken six of the last nine battles between the two teams since Elon joined the circuit in the 2014-15 season.
Both teams have found it rough away from home, going a combined 1-21 in road games this season. UNCW is 1-10 away from Trask Coliseum. Elon is winless at 0-10.
Burke stands 2-3 overall since taking over the helm of the program on Jan. 13. He is 1-1 at home and 1-2 on the road.
The Seahawks, 3-4 vs. North Carolina foes this season, play their final regular season game against a state opponent on Thursday. UNCW owns a 248-250 (.498) record against 29 opponents from North Carolina all-time.
The Seahawks stand 5-6 on their home floor, beating Johnson & Wales, Campbell, N.C. Wesleyan, Emory & Henry and Northeastern. UNCW has lost to North Carolina, Mercer, Charlotte, James Madison, Towson and Hofstra at Trask Coliseum.
Despite a challenging season, the Seahawks continue to draw well, averaging 3,083 fans in 11 home games. That ranks UNCW third in the CAA behind Charleston (4,119) and William & Mary (3,826).
Gadsden is finally healthy. Since rejoining the active roster eight games ago, the Charlotte product has reached double figures six times, including the last four outings, averaging 9.5 ppg.
The Seahawks are back above the 70 percent plateau at the free throw line, hitting 70.4 percent on the year.
The Seahawks used a different starting lineup for the fourth straight game and ninth time this season in the loss at JMU. Sophomore guard Brian Tolefree is the only player to start each of the last four contests.