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Men's Basketball 12/29/2019 12:51:00 PM Joe Browning
Seahawks Visit Dragons On Monday Night
PHILADELPHIA, Pennsylvania – The UNCW men's basketball team wraps up an early-season conference road swing to Delaware and Drexel by battling the Dragons as the first weekend of Colonial Athletic Association action caps Monday night in West Philly.
The Seahawks opened the 2019-20 CAA slate with an 82-68 loss at Delaware on Saturday night in Newark, Del. It was the sixth consecutive defeat for the Seahawks, who have not won since a 122-66 romp over Emory & Henry at Trask Coliseum on Nov. 26.
In Saturday's game in Newark, the Blue Hens shot 52.3 percent from the field and buried 12 three-pointers at the Bob Carpenter Center. Junior guard Nate Darling, a transfer from UAB, anchored five UD players in double figures with 21 points. Sophomore forward Marten Linssen led the Seahawks in scoring for the fourth time this season with 15 points. Sophomore guard Brian Tolefree scored 12 points and freshman point guard Shykeim Phillips contributed 10.
The Seahawks, suiting up just nine players due to injuries and roster subtractions, hung with the Blue Hens early before UD dialed long distance to gain separation midway through the first half for a 43-29 advantage at intermission. In the second half, the Blue Hens carved out a 27-point cushion, but the Seahawks chopped the deficit to 12 points with just under three minutes left. Delaware closed out the contest behind Darling and Justyn Mutts, who combined for 12-of-23 shooting and 9-of-10 at the free throw line. Mutts scored 13 of his total in the final period.
Drexel also suffered a loss in its CAA debut, falling at home to Charleston, 76-65. Senior guard Grant Riller poured in 22 points and the Cougars shot 53.7 percent in the road win. The Dragons managed just 39.7 percent from the floor, including a chilly 32.3 percent on their home floor in the opening period.
Junior James Butler has picked up where he left off after transferring to Drexel from Navy. The 6-8, 242-pound forward is averaging a double-double of 12.8 points and 11.6 rebounds and tops the CAA in board work. He had 17 points and 10 rebounds in last year's matchup with the Seahawks at Trask Coliseum.
Butler gets plenty of help from the CAA's leading assist maker, Camren Wynter, who earned the league's Rookie of the Year honors in 2018-19. Wynter is collecting 12.7 points and 5.7 assists and paced the Dragons with 21 points and four dimes early Saturday vs. the Cougars.
The road has not been kind to the Seahawks in 2019-20. UNCW stands 1-5 away from the Port City, 0-4 in true road games and 1-1 in neutral site games. UNCW's lone victory away from the Wilmington came on Nov. 23 when the Seahawks edged FIU, 66-63, in the Battle for the Capital in Washington, D.C.
Monday's contest 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 and a live stream is available on FloSports.
Seahawk Storylines
The Seahawks remain winless in December following losses to Stanford, Charlotte, Mercer, Vanderbilt and Delaware. UNCW has dropped 12 consecutive games in December dating back to a 101-60 romp over Greensboro College on Dec. 28, 2017, at Trask Coliseum.
C.B. McGrath owns a 14-27 ledger against CAA opposition since taking over the lead chair in 2017-18. He is 8-10 at home, 4-15 on the road and 2-2 at the CAA Tournament against CAA foes. He has dropped eight straight conference road games since a 67-61 decision at Towson on Jan. 5, 2019.
Rebounding has been a challenge for the Seahawks this season. Opponents have outrebounded the Seahawks in six consecutive games and in 10 of the 14 outings so far in the campaign.
The Seahawks own a 20-13 advantage in the 33-game series with the Dragons. UNCW has won eight of the last 10 meetings vs. Drexel and had a seven-game winning streak snapped last February.
UNCW stands 7-8 vs. Drexel in 15 appearances at the Daskalakis Center. UNCW's last win in Philly came on Feb. 24, 2018, when senior playmaker Jordon Talley flipped in a leaner with eight seconds left to help UNCW survive a wild finish, 83-82, in the regular season finale for the teams.
The Seahawks have compiled a 22-16 record against four teams from Pennsylvania through the years, facing Drexel, Duquesne, La Salle and Villanova.
UNCW and Drexel are meeting for only the second time in December. The Seahawks claimed the only other meeting on Dec. 31, 2015, in a 75-63 decision at Trask Coliseum.
In the last game between the two CAA rivals, graduate guard Trevor John scored all 14 of his points in the second half to help Drexel salvage a split of the regular season series with a 69-57 victory over the Seahawks on Feb. 7, 2019, at the Daskalakis Center.
Only one player on UNCW's active roster - sophomore guard Jaylen Sims - has appeared at the Daskalakis Center. The Charlotte, N.C., product scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds in his debut at the arena on Feb. 7, 2019. Sims went 4-for-9 from the floor in 34 minutes for the Seahawks.
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@ Delaware (12/28 - 7 PM); @ Drexel (12/30 - 7 PM)
