http://uncwsports.com/news/2017/11/13/st...pener.aspx
Seahawks Visit Davidson For Road Opener
WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Three days after opening the 2017-18 season with a lopsided win over NCAA Division II N.C. Wesleyan, UNCW embarks on its road schedule Tuesday night against Atlantic-10 member Davidson at John M. Belk Arena.
The Seahawks, two-time defending champions in the Colonial Athletic Association, return to Belk Arena for the first time since 2014 to renew the series with the Wildcats.
"Coach McKillop has been at it a long time," said UNCW first-year head coach C.B. McGrath. "He does a great job and they know what to do. They run their stuff and you have to be prepared to play them or they're going to make you look bad.
"It's going to be tough. We're playing on the road for the first time. Their crowd will be into it and they'll have their students there. We just have to execute our game plan."
UNCW started the McGrath Era in strong fashion last Saturday, placing three men in double figures and cruising past the Battling Bishops, 105-81, before 4,663 fans at Trask Coliseum. Senior playmaker Jordon Talley pumped in a career-high 24 points to anchor three players in double figures, while the Seahawks shot 50 percent overall.
Junior forward Devontae Cacok added 21 points and 16 rebounds and became the school's all-time dunk leader with four slams in the contest. The Riverdale, Ga., product now has 95 in his three-year career in the Port City.
The Seahawks are opening the season with three consecutive games against North Carolina opponents. Following the clash with the Wildcats, UNCW returns home to entertain Campbell on Saturday for a 7 p.m. tip-off.
Davidson also stands 1-0 after steamrolling Charleston Southern, 110-62, in its season debut last Friday at Belk Arena. Sophomore guard Jon Axel Gudmundsson poured in 24 points and the three-happy Wildcats fired in 26-of-53 three-pointers.
"All five guys on the court can shoot three's," McGrath said of the Wildcats. "We have to make sure we change our mentality. We have to try to pressure them out of what they do. You're not going to stop them from shooting three's. We have to get them out of their rhythm and make them shoot three's where they're not accustomed to shooting them with our defensive game plan."
UNCW and Davidson are meeting for the 10th time since the series began on Dec. 28, 1987. The Seahawks won the first four games in the series, but the Wildcats have won four of the last five pairings, including three in a row.
In the last meeting on Nov. 29, 2014, Davidson held UNCW to 30.4 percent shooting and forced 20 turnovers in a decisive 72-49 win. Peyton Aldridge, now a senior for the Wildcats, scored 17 points to lead McKillop's club.
The Seahawks are making their sixth appearance at Belk Arena and own a 2-3 mark on Davidson's home floor. UNCW has dropped three straight at Belk Arena since former UNCW center Matt Fish scored 18 points and snared 10 rebounds in a 71-68 victory on Feb. 3, 1992.
Davidson is the lone Atlantic-10 opponent for the Seahawks in 2017-18. UNCW stands 72-96 against A-10 schools, but beat St. Bonaventure in Olean, N.Y., last season in UNCW's last game against the league.
Live Seahawk Digital Network (SDN) coverage of the UNCW-Davidson contest begins at 6:45 p.m. with Mike Vaccaro, the "Voice of the Seahawks." Visit UNCWsports.com/SDN for live audio coverage. In addition, a radio broadcast of the game can be heard on "The Ticket" 95.9 FM and WKXB (99.9 FM-HD3).
For more information on the UNCW men's basketball team, visit UNCWsports.com and click on the men's basketball button. Additional information is also available on UNCW's social media channels: Facebook (UNCW Men's Basketball), Twitter (@UNCWmenshoops), Instagram (UNCWBasketball).