https://uncwsports.com/news/2020/1/10/me...enter.aspx



Men's Basketball 1/10/2020 12:09:00 PM Joe Browning

Seahawks Face Phoenix At Schar Center

ELON, North Carolina – The UNCW men's basketball team goes up against a new coach in the Colonial Athletic Association for the second straight game when the Seahawks take on Elon early Saturday at the Schar Center.

The Seahawks, 5-13 overall and 0-5 in the CAA, meet the Phoenix, 4-13 and 0-4, in a 4 p.m. tip at the 5,100-seat venue. It marks UNCW's second visit to the maroon and gold arena after dropping an 84-77 verdict last February.

UNCW will be facing new Elon skipper Mike Schrage for the first time. He was named Elon's 18th head coach back on April 5, 2019.

"We just need to continue to prepare on the defensive end," said UNCW Head Coach C.B. McGrath. "Elon has a couple of players who take the majority of their shots and are the focal point, but we have to make sure we don't ignore the rest of their players. We have to understand that every single possession on defense is important, and we can't give in for a second."

UNCW is still seeking to get back on track following an extended dry spell. The Seahawks have not won since a 122-66 rout of Emory & Henry back on Nov. 26 at Trask Coliseum and lost, 79-63, on Thursday night at William & Mary.

The Tribe used the potent inside combination of senior bookends Nathan Knight and Andy Van Vliet to pull away from the Seahawks midway through the second half and remain unbeaten in the CAA. Knight closed with 17 points and 17 rebounds for his NCAA-leading 13th double-double, while Van Vliet, a transfer from Wisconsin, ended up with 18 points on 6-of-11 shooting.

Sophomore guard Jaylen Sims came out red-hot in the first half for the Seahawks, bucketing 17 points, and finished the night with a team-high 21 points. Junior guard Ty Gadsden added 10 points for the Seahawks, who forced 15 turnovers and scored 23 points off those Tribe miscues.

Elon, meanwhile, led Charleston at halftime, 38-36, but CAA Preseason Player of the Year Grant Riller came alive in the second half to propel the Cougars to a 73-65 victory. Riller exploded for 21 of his 30 points in the final period and went a perfect 11-for-11 at the free throw line.

Graduate guard Marcus Sheffield, II, a transfer from Stanford, paced Elon in scoring vs. CofC with 19 points. Junior forward Simon Wright posted a double-double of 17 points and 10 boards for Elon, which made 9-of-30 triples on the night.

The pesky Phoenix, who are averaging 28 three-point attempts per game, had four players connect from deep against the Cougars. Schrage's club has 86 more attempts than its opponents and ranks fourth in three-point field goals made in the NCAA Division I ranks.

The Seahawks have passed the midway point in the season with only 13 games remaining - seven at home and six on the road.

Saturday's matinee will be carried over the air on The Breeze, 95.9 FM, with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro on the call. The game may be heard worldwide on the station's website, http://www.959thebreeze.com. A video stream of the contest will also be carried on FloSports.com.

Seahawk Storylines

Saturday marks the 23rd meeting between the two schools, but just the 12th as CAA opponents. UNCW owns a 12-10 advantage in the series and has taken six of the last nine contests since Elon joined the CAA in 2014-15.

UNCW stands 7-4 against Elon since the Phoenix joined the circuit.

The Phoenix won the first six games in the series before the Seahawks claimed six consecutive matchups until Elon's win on Feb. 28, 2015. The two teams did not play for 19 years before resuming the series during the 2004-05 campaign. Mike Schrage is the fifth Elon coach the Seahawks have faced through the years.

In the last meeting between the two clubs, 10th-seeded UNCW placed six players in double figures for the first time in 2018-19 and avenged a pair of seven-point losses during the regular campaign with a 93-83 upset of No. 7 Elon in the first-round of the CAA Tournament on March 9, 2019, at the North Charleston Coliseum.

UNCW and Elon are squaring off for the ninth time in January. The two teams have split eight meetings in the first month of the year.'

The Seahawks have eight games against North Carolina opponents this season and stand 3-3 vs. state foes in 2019-20. UNCW owns a 248-249 (.498) record against 29 opponents from North Carolina heading into Saturday's contest.

Elon's Mike Schrage is one of six new coaches the Seahawks face this year. UNCW is 1-4 against first-year coaches this season.

The Seahawks are 1-8 away from home, 0-7 in true road games and 1-1 in neutral site games. UNCW's lone victory away from the Port City came on Nov. 23 when the Seahawks edged FIU, 66-63, in the Battle for the Capital in Washington, D.C.

Junior guard Ty Gadsden, who sat out the first 10 games following hip and hernia surgery last summer and missed five more games due to another mid-season injury, is rounding back into form. The Charlotte guard came off the bench to contribute 10 points in 18 minutes vs. W&M on Thursday.