https://uncwsports.com/news/2020/1/8/men...-trip.aspx
Men's Basketball 1/8/2020 3:05:00 PM Joe Browning
Seahawks Eye Second CAA Road Trip
WILMINGTON, North Carolina – The UNCW men's basketball team heads out on its second conference road trip of the season this week when it visits William & Mary and Elon as the Colonial Athletic Association slate shifts into high gear.
The Seahawks, 5-12 overall and 0-4 in the CAA, take on the surprising Tribe, 11-5 and 3-0, on Thursday in Williamsburg, Va., before returning to the Tar Heel State to battle Elon early Saturday at the Schar Center. The team faces the league's two new head coaches – W&M's Dane Fischer and Elon's Mike Schrage – on the trip.
UNCW will be looking to get back on the winning track after an extended dry spell. The Seahawks have not won since a 122-66 rout of Emory & Henry back on Nov. 26 at Trask Coliseum.
"William & Mary had a very good non-conference season and they're off to a great start in the conference," said third-year UNCW head coach C.B. McGrath. "They're really experienced and play an unselfish brand of basketball. (Nathan) Knight and (Andy) Van Vliet cause a lot of problems for the defense. We'll have to work on some different ways to defend them.
"We've been competing, but just haven't gotten over the hump. We've been right there, but either haven't made the shots or gotten the stops at the end that we needed to in order to secure the win. We'll keep working at it and hopefully get it done the next time."
The Seahawks will be trying to bounce back following a pair of close losses in their first two home conference games at Trask Coliseum. UNCW fell to James Madison and Towson by a total of 11 points, and their last three league losses have come by seven points or less.
UNCW did get some good news in Saturday's matchup vs. Towson. Junior guard Ty Gadsden returned to the lineup following a mid-season injury and contributed 10 points off the bench. The Charlotte product gives the club another deep threat and depth in the backcourt.
Sophomore guard Jaylen Sims continues to pace the team in scoring with 14.0 points per game, followed by sophomore forward Marten Linssen at 10.8 ppg and Gadsden at 10.5 ppg.
Linssen is off to a strong start in CAA play. The native of Dusseldorf, Germany, is averaging 13.3 ppg, 5.5 rpg and shooting 58.5 percent in four conference appearances this season.
The Tribe has been one of the early surprises in the CAA. Led by Fischer, W&M has won six of eight, including road victories over Elon, Hofstra and Northeastern to open league play.
A balanced scoring attack, anchored by Knight, a preseason CAA First-Teamer, and the 7-foot Van Vliet has propelled the Tribe to a quick start. Knight is averaging nearly a double-double with 20.1 points and 9.9 rpg, while Van Vliet, a transfer from Wisconsin, is collecting 15.1 ppg and 9.2 rpg.
Junior guard Luke Loewe (11.1) and sophomore guard Thornton Scott (10.7) are also reaching double digits in scoring for the Tribe, which is shooting 48.2 percent and averaging 73.9 ppg.
Knight, one of five finalists for the 2019 Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Center of the Year Award presented by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, scored with 1.1 seconds remaining to lead W&M to a 66-64 win at Northeastern last Saturday. The Tribe picked up its nation-leading seventh road win. Knight, who scored W&M's final nine points, racked up his NCAA-leading 12th double-double with 23 points on 10-of-16 shooting and 11 rebounds.
Knight has faced the Seahawks seven times, making four starts, and averaged 14.1 points and 4.9 rebounds. He stands 4-3 vs. UNCW during his career.
Thursday's contest will also 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
The Seahawks have passed the midway point in the season, with only 14 games remaining - seven at home and seven on the road.
The Seahawks and Tribe are colliding for the 75th time. UNCW leads the all-time series by a 44-30 margin, but W&M has taken six of the last 10 matchups.
UNCW is playing for the 37th time in Williamsburg. The Seahawks are 19-17 (.527) at William & Mary Hall/Kaplan Arena through the years and have lost seven in a row on the Tribe's home court. UNCW's last win in Williamsburg came nine years ago on Jan. 21, 2012, with a 68-66 decision.
UNCW and W&M are battling for the 32nd time in January. The Seahawks stand 25-6 against the Tribe in games played in the first month of the year.
In the last game between the two schools, junior guard Justin Pierce sank a key three-pointer with just a minute remaining and William & Mary shot 51.9 percent to clip UNCW, 71-63, in a Saturday matinee on Feb. 23, 2019, at Kaplan Arena.
The Seahawks are playing the second of five games against Virginia opponents this season. The Seahawks stand 1-0 against Virginia opponents after dominating Emory & Henry, 122-66, back on Nov. 26 at Trask Coliseum. The Seahawks have won 47.2 percent of their games (185-207) with 17 teams from the state of Virginia through the years.
The Seahawks and Tribe have only had one common opponent this season - Stanford. W&M lost to the Cardinal, 81-50, on Nov. 21 in Palo Alto and UNCW fell, 72-54, on Dec. 1 in the finale of a two-game west ern swing.
There will be lots of new faces on the floor for both clubs. Seven members on each squad will be making their debut in the series.
Freshman playmaker Shykeim Phillips is getting increased playing time and making the most of it. The Winterville, N.C., product has started the last seven games and reached double figures in scoring four times. He is averaged 3.3 assists during the stretch.