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Joe Browning/UNCWsports.com

Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Seahawks Open Crucial Two-Game Road Swing In Frigid Newark

Game #26: UNCW "Seahawks" vs. Delaware "Blue Hens"
Bob Carpenter Center (5,000) • Newark, Dela.
Thursday, Feb. 19, 2015 • 7 p.m.
Seahawk Digital Network (Audio) • Live Stats
Twitter: @UNCWMensHoops • #wingsup
Game Notes: UNCW | UD
22564
UNCW "Seahawks"
2014-15 Record: 15-10, 10-4 CAA
Last Game: Feb. 14 Vs. Northeastern - W, 66-61  (Recap | Box Score)
Head Coach: Kevin Keatts (1st Season)
Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Homepage
21494Delaware "Blue Hens"
2014-15 Record: 7-18, 6-8 CAA
Last Game: Feb. 14 at William & Mary - W, 73-70 (Recap | Box Score)
Head Coach: Monte' Ross (9th Season)
Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Homepage

NEWARK, Delaware – The UNCW men's basketball team heads to the bone-chilling mid-Atlantic this week hoping to heat up cold arenas at Delaware and Towson with hopes of remaining atop the Colonial Athletic Association standings as the league's postseason tournament nears.
 
The Seahawks, 15-10 overall and 10-4 in the CAA, are the surprise club of the 10-team league and can put themselves in a strong position for their first regular season title in the CAA since 2006.
 
UNCW tackles the upstart Blue Hens, 7-18 and 6-8, on Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark. Following the clash with the Blue Hens, the Seahawks move down the road to Towson, Md., to take on the Tigers Saturday in a 2 p.m. matinee at SECU Arena.
 
"It's going to be a very tough week for us," said Kevin Keatts, UNCW's first-year head coach. "Anytime you have to play two good teams on the road, especially on Thursday and Saturday, you can expect two tough games.
 
"Delaware is playing very good basketball. If you look at their last two games when they won at Northeastern and William & Mary, they're playing as good as anybody. Both Delaware and Towson are playing tremendous basketball this time of year."
 
Senior guard Addison Spruill anchored four starters in double figures with 16 points as UNCW carved out a hard-earned 66-61 victory over Northeastern last Saturday night at Trask Coliseum. Junior guard Craig Ponder added 15 points, freshman playmaker Jordon Talley chipped in 14 and senior guard Freddie Jackson contributed 10. Sophomore forward Chuck Ogbodo came off the bench to grab a game-high nine rebounds in just 18 minutes.
 
The surging Seahawks have won two in a row, three of their last four and 10 of their last 13 games. UNCW has also won three of its last four road tilts and stands 6-7 away from home this season.
 
Senior guards Addison Spruill and Freddie Jackson are each making a case for All-CAA honors. Spruill ranks sixth in the CAA scoring (14.2 ppg), fourth in rebounding (6.5 rpg) and sixth in field goal percentage (.458). Jackson is seventh in scoring (14.1 ppg), 13th in rebounding (5.8 rpg), 9th in field goal percentage (.440), T-2nd in steals (1.6 spg) and second in minutes played (36.3 mpg).
 
Talley, meanwhile, has emerged into one of the league's steadiest playmakers and was named the CAA's Rookie-of-the-Week for the second time on Monday. The Richmond, Va., native averaged 16.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists last week following outstanding games against Charleston and Northeastern.
 
In the last game between UNCW and UD back on Jan. 8 in Wilmington, UNCW erased a six-point deficit in the final 42 seconds of regulation to force overtime and slip past Delaware, 74-73, to deliver Keatts his first conference home victory. Jackson collected 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists in 45 minutes on the floor. Ponder chipped in 19 points and Spruill had 11 for the Seahawks, who led by as many as 11 points early in the contest. Freshman sensation Kory Holden scored a game-high 25 points for UD
 
In the last game between UNCW and UD in Newark, senior forward Carl Baptiste came up big down the stretch to help eventual CAA champion Delaware survive a scare in a 66-65 victory on Feb. 1, 2014, at the Bob Carpenter Center. Baptiste scored nine of UD's final 11 points and was complemented by Devon Saddler's 15 points and Davon Usher's 13. The Blue Hens led, 28-26, at halftime before the Seahawks went up by eight points with 10 minutes left. Cedrick Williams had 18 points and eight rebounds for UNCW.
 
Delaware built a 15-point halftime lead in its last outing and held off CAA frontrunner William & Mary down the stretch as the Blue Hens posted their second consecutive impressive road victory with a 73-70 triumph over the Tribe last Saturday in Colonial Williamsburg. UD defeated W&M for the ninth straight time and snapped the Tribe's 14-game home winning streak.
 
Junior guard Kyle Anderson is the catalyst for Monte' Ross' team and anchors three Blue Hens in double figures with 14.8 ppg. Holden is collecting 13.6 ppg and senior guard Cazmon Hayes is contributing 12.5 ppg.
 
The heady Anderson has started seven games in his career vs. the Seahawks and stands 5-2 against the UNCW. He's averaged 8.7 points and 3.9 rebounds, shooting 27.3 percent (21-of-77) and 28.8 percent (15-of-52) from long distance. Anderson played 42 minutes in the first game vs. UNCW this season.
 
Hayes, meanwhile, failed to score in the first matchup between the two teams on Jan. 8 in Wilmington. He went 0-for-4 from the field and 0-for-3 from deep with five rebounds in 20 minutes.
 
The Seahawks have faced Delaware more than any other former America East member since UD, Hofstra, Towson and Drexel joined the league 11 years ago. UNCW holds a 17-10 advantage in the series and owns four CAA Tournament victories (2002, 2003, 2006, 2008) over the Blue Hens.  UD has taken six of the last 10 meetings, but UNCW snapped a five-game losing streak to the Blue Hens last month. The Seahawks are looking for their first sweep of UD since the 2006 season.
 
Keatts said: "We just have to stay the course. What's most important to me is how well we play on the defensive end. You can have a great offensive night or an off offensive night, but if you're consistently defensively, you can be in a position to win."
 
Thursday's game in Newark can be heard 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.
 
Tickets remain on sale for UNCW's final home game vs. James Madison next Wednesday, Jan. 25, 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

Freddie Jackson

#10 Freddie Jackson

G
6' 4"
Senior
Chuck Ogbodo

#13 Chuck Ogbodo

C
6' 9"
Sophomore
Craig Ponder

#0 Craig Ponder

G
6' 1"
Redshirt Junior
Addison Spruill

#24 Addison Spruill

G
6' 4"
Senior
Cedrick Williams

#40 Cedrick Williams

F
6' 9"
Senior
Jordon Talley

#4 Jordon Talley

G
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Freddie Jackson

#10 Freddie Jackson

6' 4"
Senior
G
Chuck Ogbodo

#13 Chuck Ogbodo

6' 9"
Sophomore
C
Craig Ponder

#0 Craig Ponder

6' 1"
Redshirt Junior
G
Addison Spruill

#24 Addison Spruill

6' 4"
Senior
G
Cedrick Williams

#40 Cedrick Williams

6' 9"
Senior
F
Jordon Talley

#4 Jordon Talley

6' 0"
Freshman
G