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Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Seahawks, Blue Hens Tangle In Rematch

Game #18: UNCW "Seahawks" vs. Delaware "Blue Hens"
Trask Coliseum (5,100) • Wilmington, N.C.
Thursday, Jan. 21, 2016 • 7 p.m.
Seahawk Digital Network (Video/Audio) • Live Stats
Twitter: @UNCWMensHoops • #RunDefendWin
Game Notes: UNCW | Delaware
22564
UNCW "Seahawks"
2015-16 Record: 12-5, 4-2 CAA
Last Game: W 97-94 OT Vs. William & Mary, 01-16-16
Head Coach: Kevin Keatts (2nd Season)
Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Homepage
21494Delaware "Blue Hens"
2015-16 Record: 5-12, 0-6 CAA
Last Game: L 69-60 Vs. Northeastern, 01-16-16
Head Coach: Monte' Ross (10th Season)
Roster | Schedule | Statistics | Homepage

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – The UNCW men's basketball team likes the view from the top of the Colonial Athletic Association and plans to enjoy it for awhile.

UNCW, 12-5 overall and 4-2 in the CAA, is locked in a six-way logjam for first place in the circuit heading into Thursday's slate of league games. The Seahawks have won three in a row, while the Blue Hens, 5-12 and 0-6, have dropped nine consecutive games.

"Last week was an exciting week for us," said Kevin Keatts, UNCW's second-year head coach. "The William & Mary game was a high level game. We just couldn't stop them on the defensive end.

"We're starting to get in better shape and shoot the ball a lot better. Our guys are starting to understand how to play at the level we want to play at and the ball's going in for us now."

The Seahawks have won three in a row and conclude a brief two-game homestand with the Blue Hens. UNCW is coming off a scintillating 97-94 overtime victory on Saturday over William & Mary in one of the most memorable games in Trask Coliseum's four-decade history.

Keatts and his staff have the Seahawks clicking on all cylinders as the conference race scoots into late January. With their 97-point outburst on Saturday, the Seahawks have now scored 90 or more points seven times in 17 games this season. UNCW's high octane offense has averaged 91.0 ppg over the last three outings.
 
Junior guard Chris Flemmings has been one of the main cogs in UNCW's high-motor offense. The Cary, N.C., product was named CAA Co-Player-of-the-Week after averaging 23.5 points and 5.0 rebounds in the wins over the Phoenix and Tribe. "Chris has played great basketball," said Keatts. "He's scoring for us a lot, but he leads us in rebounding, gets assists, has blocked shots and gets steals."
 
Senior Craig Ponder has a good shot at becoming the 22nd player in Seahawk history to reach 1,000 points when he suits up against the Blue Hens. The West Virginian is appearing in his 115th game and needs just 10 points to reach the milestone. He has racked up 990 points in 114 games for an 8.7 ppg. career average.
 
The Seahawks and Blue Hens met just 12 days ago in Newark, Dela. Since that time, UNCW has defeated Elon and William & Mary. UD has dropped home games to Towson and Northeastern.

Delaware remained winless in conference play after falling, 69-60, at home last Saturday to Northeastern. The Huskies canned five three-pointers in a five-minute span midway through the second half and the Blue Hens couldn't rally down the stretch to open conference play at 0-6 for the first time since 1981-82 when the Hens were members of the East Coast Conference.

In the last game between UNCW and UD, Seahawk freshman guard Mark Matthews poured in a career-high 18 points and drained 4-of-5 triples to power UNCW over Delaware, 85-67, on Jan. 9, 2016, halting a seven-game losing streak for the Seahawks at the Bob Carpenter Center. Junior center C.J. Gettys added a career-best 15 points and Flemmings and Ponder contributed 16 points apiece for UNCW, which led by as many as 25 points and shot 53 percent. Marvin King-Davis scored a career-high 29 points for the Blue Hens.
 
Keatts said, "Marvin King-Davis has been tremendous for them and is playing great basketball. Monte' has a very good team and they will be a tough opponent for us. They continue to get better and their core of guys are starting to come around.

"In the first game, we got beat up on the glass. We couldn't stop them from getting second and third opportunities. They're tough because they can score inside and out. It will be a big challenge for us."

UNCW holds an 18-11 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 the two teams have alternated wins and losses over the last four matchups. UNCW stands 9-3 against UD in Wilmington and  has won eight of the last 10 games between the two teams in North Carolina.
 
Following Thursday's rematch with the Blue Hens, the Seahawks leave early Friday for the frigid Northeast, where they'll face Drexel on Saturday in Philadelphia.

All of UNCW's games are carried live on the Seahawk Digital Network (SDN). Fans can visit UNCWsports.com, click the Live Events button, and select the game for a free audio and video feed of the contest. Seahawk basketball may also be heard over the radio airwaves on The Beach 94.1 FM/WLSG 1340 AM in Wilmington and New Hanover County and Freedom 97.1 FM/WSME 1120 AM in Jacksonville and Onslow County.

Tickets are available for all of UNCW's games by visiting the UNCW Athletics Ticket Office in Trask Coliseum, calling 1-800-808-UNCW, or clicking the Tickets button via UNCWSports.com.
 
For more information on the Seahawks, like the team on Facebook (UNCW Men's Basketball) or follow the team on Twitter (@UNCWMensHoops).
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Players Mentioned

Chris Flemmings

#1 Chris Flemmings

G
6' 5"
Redshirt Junior
C.J. Gettys

#23 C.J. Gettys

C
7' 0"
Redshirt Junior
Craig Ponder

#0 Craig Ponder

G
6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
Mark Matthews

#2 Mark Matthews

G
6' 6"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Chris Flemmings

#1 Chris Flemmings

6' 5"
Redshirt Junior
G
C.J. Gettys

#23 C.J. Gettys

7' 0"
Redshirt Junior
C
Craig Ponder

#0 Craig Ponder

6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
G
Mark Matthews

#2 Mark Matthews

6' 6"
Freshman
G