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Rafael Suanes/CAA

Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Seahawks Seek To Punch NCAA Ticket Tonight

2016 CAA Men's Championship Game Notes Vs. Hofstra

BALTIMORE, Maryland – Two teams who have chased each other all year long collide Monday night as UNCW and Hofstra battle for the ultimate prize – the Colonial Athletic Association's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament – in the 2016 CAA Men's Basketball Championship Game at Royal Farms Arena.
 
The No. 2-seeded Seahawks, 24-7, and top-seeded Pride, 24-8, tip off at 7 p.m. in what promises to be an entertaining game before a national television audience on NBC Sports Network. The winner receives the first Tom Yeager Championship Trophy and the league's ticket to the Big Dance.
 
UNCW advanced to its 10th Championship game and its first since 2006 by holding off defending champion Northeastern, 73-70, in a wild finish late Sunday in Charm City. The Seahawks used a 19-4 run midway through the second half to build a comfortable lead over the Huskies before Bill Coen's team rallied in the final minutes.
 
The game finally ended when Northeastern's long inbounds pass was deflected by junior guard Chris Flemmings and officials ruled that time had expired, sending the Seahawks into the CAA title game following a 10-year absence.
 
Flemmings, who scored 13 of his 21 points in the second half as the Seahawks shot 52 percent after the break, was one of several stars for the Seahawks. Junior guard Denzel Ingram added 14 points and eight assists, senior guard Craig Ponder chipped in 11 points and freshman reserve forward Devontae Cacok contributed some key minutes down the stretch.
 
The Pride, meanwhile, topped William & Mary in the day's early semifinal. Graduate forward Denton Koon converted a layup with 8.5 seconds left to cap Hofstra's 70-67 comeback victory against the pesky Tribe. It marked the second straight year that Hofstra and William & Mary battled in a thriller in the CAA semifinals. The Tribe won last year's meeting 92-91 in double overtime on a last-second three-pointer by guard Daniel Dixon.
 
The Seahawks are shooting for their fifth Colonial Athletic Association title and first since the 2005-06 campaign. Second-year Head Coach Kevin Keatts and the Seahawks are also seeking the school's eighth postseason appearance in a rematch of the 2006 CAA Championship won by the Seahawks, 78-67, on March 6, 2006, at the Richmond Coliseum.
 
UNCW and Hofstra lock horns for the 35th time since Hofstra joined the CAA during the 2001-02 season, with the Pride leading the all-time series, 18-16. UNCW has won two of the last three meetings, but the Pride has won seven of the last 10 games. The two teams have split the season series the last two years, with each club winning on the other's home floor both years.
 
The teams battled in two memorable games during the regular season. UNCW erased a 20-point deficit to win on Ingram's three-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining, 70-67, in Hempstead on Feb. 6 in Hempstead, and the Pride returned the favor with an 18-point comeback behind CAA Player-of-the-Year Juan'ya Green in a 70-69 verdict 11 days ago at Trask Coliseum.
 
Tonight's game marks the 10th time the top two seeds have squared off in the championship game of the CAA Tournament. The No. 2 seed has claimed five of the previous nine encounters.
 
If previous contests in this year's tournament are any indication, Monday's title clash will be a nailbiter. Five of the first eight games in the CAA Tournament have been decided by five points or less. The 2010 CAA Tournament, which was played at the Richmond Coliseum, also featured five games decided by a margin of five points or less.
 
The men's basketball team aims to become the second UNCW squad to earn a CAA championship in 2015-16. The volleyball team earned its first-ever CAA title in November.
 
UNCW and Hofstra will be facing each other for the fifth time in the CAA finale. The Seahawks won the first two matchups in 2003 and 2006 – both championship seasons – and Hofstra has taken two straight in 2009 and 2014. In their last meeting in the CAA Tournament, the Pride won, 78-70, on March 7, 2014, in Richmond.
 
Overall, UNCW and Hofstra are also playing for the third time to decide a CAA sports championship. UNCW won the 2006 men's hoops crown over the Pride in 2006 and the women's soccer team claimed the hardware with a 2-1 overtime triumph in Boston in 2012.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Chris Flemmings

#1 Chris Flemmings

G
6' 5"
Redshirt Junior
Denzel Ingram

#10 Denzel Ingram

G
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
Craig Ponder

#0 Craig Ponder

G
6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
Devontae Cacok

#15 Devontae Cacok

F
6' 7"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Chris Flemmings

#1 Chris Flemmings

6' 5"
Redshirt Junior
G
Denzel Ingram

#10 Denzel Ingram

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
G
Craig Ponder

#0 Craig Ponder

6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
G
Devontae Cacok

#15 Devontae Cacok

6' 7"
Freshman
F