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Men's Basketball 2/12/2020 5:48:00 PM Joe Browning

Seahawks Open Final Road Trip At NU

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – The UNCW men's basketball team will try to slow down the CAA's leading scorer and one of the top point producers in the land when the Seahawks visit Northeastern late Thursday at historic Matthews Arena in Beantown.

The Seahawks (8-18, 3-10) and Huskies (11-13, 5-7) collide in a rematch of a game played on Jan. 18 at Trask Coliseum. UNCW outlasted NU, 76-74, in a wild overtime affair to snap out of a mid-season swoon.

The defending CAA champion Huskies have dropped four in a row and five of their last six outings. However, they still feature prolific scorer Jordan Roland, who averages 23.4 points and exploded for a Trask Coliseum-record 38 points in the first matchup between the two teams in mid-January. Roland ranks fourth in the NCAA Division I ranks in scoring entering Thursday's tilt.

"They're going to be ready for us and come out swinging," said Rob Burke, UNCW's interim head coach. "We have to deal with that early punch. They've been struggling and I'm not quite sure. They've had some leads and fallen apart. Bill Coen is a premier coach in this country. If anybody can fix it, he can…he'll figure it out.

"We just have to worry about us and do the things we're getting better at. We have to go up there with a good game plan and stick to it no matter what happens. We have to trust our plan.

"We're still getting off to a slow start in games. We're going to have to figure out how to get a bucket or two to get us going. On the defensive end, we can't let teams come out and get off to a good start on us."

In the first pairing, UNCW battled back to prevail over NU in the extra period. The Seahawks trailed early, cut into the deficit by halftime, rallied down the stretch to force overtime and rode junior guard Mike Okauru's gritty play in OT. Okauru filled up the stat sheet, notching a double-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in an all-around effort.

The Seahawks are seeking their second straight win. Six players scored during a 17-3 run midway through the second half to lift UNCW past William & Mary, 70-64, in last Saturday's homecoming win. Playing in front of a lively crowd, UNCW fell behind by 14 points in the first half, but stormed back for the victory.


In its last appearance, Northeastern fell at Hofstra, 75-71, at the Mack Sports Complex last Saturday on Long Island. The Pride outscored the Huskies at the free throw line, 24-13, and used a 28-8 run over a 10-minute stretch to seize control.

In the last game between UNCW and NU in Boston, former standouts Vasa Pusica and Shawn Occeus combined for 41 points and keyed a second half surge in an 88-71 victory on Jan. 19, 2019. The crafty Pusica poured in 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 4-of-7 behind the arc. Occeus pumped in 20 points for the Huskies, who shot 56. 7 percent in the second half. UNCW trailed, 57-53, at the 13-minute mark, but Roland came off the bench to trigger a 17-4 spurt that helped the Huskies gain separation. Roland had seven points in the decisive run and sank a free throw with 3:10 left to give the Huskies their largest lead of the contest, 87-65.

A transfer from George Washington, Roland tops the CAA in free throw accuracy (.907) and has averaged 23.8 points and shot 53.2 percent in four games vs. UNCW since joining the Huskies.

Seahawk freshman forward Imajae Dodd was selected the CAA's Rookie of the Week early Monday. The 6-6, 255-pound newcomer from Snow Hill, N.C., averaged 7.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.5 blocks as the Seahawks split a pair of home games with Elon and William & Mary. He converted 6-of-8 field goals and 2-of-3 at the free throw line against the Tribe in only his second career start for the Seahawks.

Following Thursday's game in New England, the Seahawks travel down to Long Island for their final roadie of the regular season early Saturday at Hofstra. The two teams battle in a 4 p.m. tip at the Mack Sports Complex.

Seahawk Storylines

The Seahawks are seeking their first series sweep of the season.

Saturday marks the 30th meeting between the Seahawks and Huskies. NU owns a 16-13 advantage in the competitive series, but the Huskies have taken six of the last 10 meetings.

The Seahawks have only four games remaining after Thursday's tilt, including the final three contests at Trask Coliseum.

UNCW owns an 11-16 record all-time against Coen, including 7-4 at Trask Coliseum, 3-8 at Matthews Arena, 1-1 at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore and 0-2 at the North Charleston Coliseum.

NU is one of just four opponents from Massachusetts for the Seahawks through the years. UNCW owns a 15-21 (.400) record against Massachusetts teams.

Thursday's matchup showcases two teams that cash in at the charity stripe. NU leads the league in free throw shooting at 80.8 percent, while UNCW is connecting on 70 percent at the line.

Burke stands 3-4 overall since taking over the program on Jan. 13. He is 2-2 at home and 1-2 on the road during his brief time in the lead chair.