Men's Basketball 2/26/2020 4:36:00 PM Joe Browning
Big Home Stand Closes Out Regular Season
WILMINGTON, North Carolina – The UNCW men's basketball team tries to maintain its late-season momentum on Thursday when the Seahawks entertain Drexel's Dragons in a Colonial Athletic Association rematch at Trask Coliseum.
The Seahawks, 9-20 overall and 4-12 in the CAA, lace it up against the Dragons, 13-16 and 6-10, at 7 p.m. UNCW is closing out the regular season with the same pair of opponents - Drexel and Delaware - that opened the CAA slate back in late December.
"We really like playing in Trask and its gives us a bunch of confidence," said Rob Burke, UNCW's interim head coach. The Seahawks are 7-7 at Trask Coliseum after winning back-to-back home games against William & Mary and Charleston. "It's good to finish at home before going up to Washington, D.C."
UNCW and Drexel met 59 days ago on the opening weekend of CAA play. The Dragons claimed a 71-66 victory in Philadelphia on Dec. 30, riding a 30-point outburst by sophomore guard Camren Wynter. The point guard enters Saturday's game ranked ninth in the CAA in scoring (16.1 ppg) and second in assists (5.3 apg).
Burke said, "We haven't played Drexel in a month and a half. It was the second game of the year and we were not in a great place. We have to figure out what we can do well against them. They've gotten better and we've gotten better."
Burke reviewed that matchup on video and said, "It was tough to watch. We only had three days to get ready to play them. It was a young team the first time on the road. We just weren't sharp offensively. I see a totally different team now. I'm excited about going up against them."
Drexel makes its annual southern swing on a five-game skid after falling to Northeasterrn, 77-68, last Saturday at home. The Dragons, who have dropped eight of their last nine outings, last won on Feb. 6 with a 78-67 home victory vs. James Madison. Since Drexel's 71-66 verdict over UNCW on Dec. 30, the Seahawks have gone 4-10, while the Dragons have fashioned a 5-9 mark.
Wynter fell one shy of his career scoring high in the first meeting with the Seahawks, making 11-of-19 shots and adding 6-of-9 at the free throw line. Sophomore guard Zach Walton was the only other player in double figures for the Dragons with 14 points. Sophomore forward Marten Linssen paced the Seahawks with 15 points. Trailing 33-31 at halftime, the Seahawks started quickly in the second half and led by as many as five points before the Dragons rallied down the stretch.
In its last appearance, UNCW used a 17-4 run over a seven-minute stretch early in the second half to sweep the regular season series against Charleston with a 68-55 victory last Saturday at Trask Coliseum. Linssen notched his second career double-double with 16 points and a career-best 13 rebounds. The Dusseldorf, Germany, native was joined in double figures by junior guards Mike Okauru (17) and Ty Gadsden (13), along with freshman guard Shykeim Phillips (10). After taking a slim 34-32 lead into halftime, the Seahawks reeled off nine consecutive points over a two-minute stretch early in the second half en route to their second straight home win.
The Seahawks are also coming off one of their best defensive efforts of the season. Charleston's 55 points represented the fewest by an opponent in UNCW's last 23 games (47 by Cleveland State on Nov. 22, 2019).
On the offensive end, Burke said, "We have to get better shooting the basketball. The ball's getting on top of some of our guys and they're not shot ready. We're going to get looks, so our guys have to be ready to knock it down.
The Seahawks are finishing up the season with three consecutive home games for the first time in 27 years. The 1993-94 team was the last unit to close out the regular campaign with three straight home contests.
Following Thursday's clash with the Dragons, the Seahawks close out the regular season on Saturday when Delaware visits Trask Coliseum for another 7 p.m. matchup.
The UNCW-Drexel contest will be carried over the air on The Breeze (95.9 FM). Play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro and color analyst Marty Feurer will be on the call and the contest may be heard worldwide on the station's website,
http://www.959thebreeze.com. A video stream of the game will be available on FloSports.com.
Seahawk Storylines
The Seahawks own a 20-14 advantage in the 34-game series with the Dragons. UNCW has won seven of the last 10 meetings, including five in a row at home.
Burke stands 4-6 overall since taking over the program on Jan. 13. He's 3-2 at home and 1-4 on the road during his brief time in the lead chair.
UNCW has dominated the series vs. DU at Trask Coliseum with an 11-4 record. The Seahawks have won five straight games over the Dragons in Wilmington. Drexel's last victory in North Carolina came on Jan. 18, 2014, in a 79-63 rout of the Seahawks.
The Seahawks have defended the arc well over the last five contests. UNCW's last five opponents have converted just 22.1 percent behind the arc.
The Seahawks are facing the CAA's top rebounder in Drexel junior James Butler, who is averaging 11.6 boards per game. He also tops the loop in offensive rebounds with 3.8 each contest.
Phillips now has 27 games under his belt and it shows. He's started 21 games and reached double figures in scoring 11 times. He's led the team in scoring on three occasions (UNC, at Charleston, at Hofstra) and paced the club in assists seven times.