Seahawks Continue CAA Stretch Run With Cougars

Game #24: UNCW "Seahawks" vs. College of Charleston "Cougars" Trask Coliseum (5,100) • Wilmington, N.C. Wednesday, Feb. 11, 2015 • 7 p.m. Seahawk Digital Network (Audio/Video) • Live Stats Twitter: @UNCWMensHoops • #wingsup Game Notes: UNCW \| CofC


	UNCW "Seahawks" 2014-15 Record: 13-10, 8-4 CAA Last Game: Feb. 7 Vs. W&M - L, 56-53 (Recap \| Box Score) Head Coach: Kevin Keatts (1st Season) Roster \| Schedule \| Statistics \| Homepage


	College of Charleston "Cougars" 2014-15 Record: 7-18, 2-10 CAA Last Game: Feb. 7 Vs. Drexel - L, 59-45 (Recap \| Box Score) Head Coach: Earl Grant (1st Season) Roster \| Schedule \| Statistics \| Homepage

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – If the last two games between UNCW and the College of Charleston are any indication, Wednesday's 7 p.m. clash between the two Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball rivals should be a dandy.

The Seahawks, 13-10 overall and 8-4 in the CAA, and Cougars, 7-18 and 2-10, have gone past regulation in the two last two meetings with UNCW posting a pair of narrow victories. Charleston owns a 10-6 advantage in the closely-contested series, but has dropped three overtime decisions to the Seahawks in the last five matchups.

"I'm expecting a very similar game to the one we had last time," said first-year UNCW Head Coach Kevin Keatts. "There is a difference – they have one of their better players healthy in Anthony Stitt. They are a very good team and a dangerous team. They're one of those teams where you don't have to look at their record because they're very talented and have the ability to beat anybody in the league."

UNCW is coming off a difficult 56-53 loss to CAA frontrunner William & Mary last Saturday at Trask Coliseum. The hot-shooting Tribe overcame 20 turnovers with 50 percent shooting to complete a sweep of the regular season series with the Seahawks.

The Tribe also snapped UNCW's four-game home winning streak with Saturday's tight win. Overall, the Seahawks stand 7-2 at home heading into Wednesday's tilt. "We have to move on past the William & Mary game and prepare for Charleston. It's going to be another tough battle for us here at home," Keatts added.

UNCW and CofC are going head-to-head for the ninth time at Trask Coliseum. The teams have split the first eight games in the spirited 5,100-seat venue and five of the games have been decided by five points or less with the three extra-session nail biters.

Charleston, meanwhile, sits in the cellar of the 10-team league, but has been competitive throughout the season and has wins over the Tribe (80-72) and Elon (66-50). Stitt's return from an injury, however, gives the Cougars extra firepower in the lineup.

Stitt has started 16 of the 18 games he's appeared in for CofC and averaged 9.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and 2.7 assists. Sophomore guard Canyon Barry (12.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg) and Joe Chealey (11.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg) give the Cougars a pair of double-figure scorers.

The game features the CAA's two new coaches in Keatts and CofC's Earl Grant. Keatts is one of the top candidates for CAA Coach-of-the-Year, while Grant, a protégé of former UNCW Coach Brad Brownell at Clemson, joined the Cougars in late summer.

In the first pairing between the two teams, UNCW shot just 25.8 percent from the floor at TD Arena and offset the shooting deficiency by grabbing 10 steals and forcing 20 turnovers in the 58-56 overtime victory. Senior guard Addison Spruill, who ranks second on the club in scoring, recorded his third career double-double with 11 pons and a career-best 13 rebounds.

The matchup is the second leg of a three-game home stand for the Seahawks. UNCW has three home games and three road contests before the CAA Tournament in early March at Royal Farms Arena in Baltimore.

Wednesday's game can be seen on the Seahawk Digital Network via UNCWsports.com. Fans should click on the "Live Events" button on the top right-hand corner of the main page and follow the prompts for the free broadcast. A 15-minute pregame show kicks off the coverage followed by first-half coverage, a 15-minute halftime show, second-half action and a 15-minute post-game show.

Live-in game updates are also available on Twitter by following @UNCWmenshoops.

Season tickets remain on sale for UNCW's home schedule and may be purchased at the UNCW Athletics Ticket Office in Trask Coliseum or by visiting UNCWsports.com. Tickets can also be purchased by calling the UNCW Athletic Ticket Office at 910-962-3233 or 1-800-808-UNCW.

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Players Mentioned

#24 Addison Spruill: G; 6' 4"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#24 Addison Spruill
: 6' 4"; Senior
: G

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Seahawks Continue CAA Stretch Run With Cougars

Players Mentioned

#24 Addison Spruill

Players Mentioned

#24 Addison Spruill