http://www.uncwsports.com/news/2015/3/12...52443.aspx
Seahawks Begin Quest for CAA Title Against Elon on Friday
UPPER MARLBORO, Maryland – As they prepare to begin play at the Colonial Athletic Association Women's Basketball Championship, Coach Adell Harris and the UNCW women's basketball team will be trying to carry the momentum they gained to end the regular season with them.
The Seahawks, who closed the regular season by winning six of their final seven games, start their quest at the conference title by facing fourth-seeded Elon in the quarterfinals at approximately 2:30 p.m. or 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first quarterfinal between James Madison and either Towson or Charleston.
Friday's quarterfinal game will be broadcast on the American Sports Network in addition to CAA.tv while an audio broadcast will be available on the Seahawk Digital Network on UNCWSports.com with Eric Rhew calling the action. In addition, live stats for Friday's quarterfinal game can be viewed on UNCWStats.com.
The Seahawks, who will bring a 14-15 overall record into the four-day tournament, finished the regular season with a 10-8 conference mark after edging Hofstra by a 76-75 margin. UNCW held off a late charge by the Pride to win its fourth consecutive game while ending a five-game skid against the Pride.
Junior guard Shatia Cole (Myrtle Beach H.S./Myrtle Beach, S.C.) led the Seahawks in the victory on Wednesday night by scoring a game-high 20 points as UNCW posted five players in double figures for the second time this season. Cole made 8 of 14 shots from the floor and added six rebounds with two steals.
Meanwhile, senior guard and first team All-CAA selection Kelva Atkins (Granville Central H.S./Stem, N.C.) had a memorable final game at Trask Coliseum by scoring 18 points with seven assists and three steals. She also moved into sixth place on the Seahawks' all-time scoring and assist lists with her effort against the Pride.
The second-leading scorer in the CAA, Atkins is averaging 17.0 points per game for the Seahawks this season and needs just six points to become the second player in school history to record back-to-back 500-point campaigns. She also ranks seventh in the CAA with 3.7 assists per game and a .770 field goal percentage.
Sophomore guard Brie Mobley (Winter Haven H.S./Winter Haven, Fla.) has played a major role in the Seahawks' late season success by averaging 18.3 points per game during the last seven contests. A second team All-CAA pick, she broke the school record with a 46-point performance against Delaware last Thursday and tallied 20 points against Charleston in a 76-65 victory on Mar. 1.
With a 13.3 point per game average, Mobley ranks eighth in the CAA.
Playing in the CAA Tournament for the first time, Elon earned the fourth seed in the field after holding off Delaware for a 77-76 overtime victory on Thursday night at Alumni Gym. The Phoenix trailed by a 59-56 margin before using a 7-0 run to take a four-point lead before Delaware forced the extra session.
Elon, which ended the regular season with an 18-11 overall mark and an 11-7 record in league play, is led by senior guard Zora Stephenson (Oakton H.S./Vienna, Va.), who ranks 20th in the CAA with a 10.7 point per game average. Meanwhile, freshman guard Shay Burnett (Southern Alamance H.S./Graham, N.C.) is contributing 10.2 points per game and ranks second on the team by grabbing 5.2 rebounds per contest. Burnett was one of two Elon players named to the CAA All-Rookie Team, joining freshman center Malaya Johnson (North Surry H.S./Mount Airy, N.C.).
The Seahawks and the Phoenix will be meeting for the third time this season. UNCW posted a 76-68 victory over Elon at Trask Coliseum on Jan. 25 before edging the Phoenix by an 86-82 count at Alumni Gym on Feb. 12.
The winner of the UNCW-Elon game will advance to the semifinals on Saturday, Mar. 14 against top-seeded and defending CAA champion James Madison at 1:00 p.m. The CAA Championship Game is slated for 1:00 p.m. on Sunday, Mar. 15 with the winner receiving an automatic berth into the NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Championship.
Tickets for the championship can be purchased by visiting
http://www.caasports.com/tickets.
2015 CAA Women's Basketball Championship
March 12-15 | Show Place Arena | Upper Marlboro, Md.
Thursday, March 12 | First Round
#8 Towson vs. #9 College of Charleston, 12 p.m.
#7 Delaware vs. #10 Northeastern, 2:30 p.m.
Friday, March 13 | Quarterfinals
#1 James Madison vs. Towson/Charleston winner, 12 p.m.
#4 Elon vs. #5 UNCW, 2:30 p.m.
#2 Drexel vs. Delaware/Northeastern winner, 5 p.m.
#3 Hofstra vs. #6 William & Mary, 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 14 | Semifinals
Winner of Game 3 vs. Winner of Game 4, 1 p.m.
Winner of Game 5 vs. Winner of Game 6, 3 p.m.
Sunday, March 15 | Championship
Winner of Game 7 vs. Winner of Game 8, 1 p.m.
