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Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Seahawks Wrap Up Homestand With Matinee


Game #19: UNCW "Seahawks" vs. Hofstra "Pride"
Trask Coliseum (5,200) • Wilmington, N.C.
Saturday, Jan. 14, 2017 • 2 p.m.
Seahawk Digital Network (Audio/Video)
Twitter: @UNCWMensHoops • #RunDefendWin
Game Notes: UNCW | HU
22564
 UNCW "Seahawks"
2016-17 Record: 16-2, 5-0 CAA
Last Game: W 101-77, vs. W&M, 01-12-17
Head Coach: Kevin Keatts (3rd Season)
Roster | Schedule/Results | Statistics | Homepage
26943 Hofstra "Pride"
2016-17 Record: 9-9, 1-4 CAA
Last Game: L 96-80, at Elon, 01-12-17
Head Coach: Joe Mihalich (4th Season)
Roster | Schedule/Results | Statistics | Homepage

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Two days after clinching its best Colonial Athletic Association start in school history, the UNCW men's basketball team returns to the hardwood early Saturday for their first pairing of the season against Hofstra's Pride.
 
It's a rematch of last year's CAA championship game won by the Seahawks in Baltimore. UNCW took that meeting, 80-73, in overtime and went on to give national power Duke fits in the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.
 
UNCW (16-2, 5-0) and Hofstra (9-9, 1-4) tip it off at 2 p.m. at Trask Coliseum. Live Seahawk Digital Network (SDN) coverage of Saturday's UNCW-Hofstra contest with Mike Vaccaro and Marty Feurer begins with the pregame show at 1:45 p.m. via UNCWsports.com. In addition, a radio broadcast of the game may be heard on WLSG 94.1 FM and 1340 AM (Wilmington) and WSME 97.1 FM and 1120 AM (Jacksonville).
 
The speedy Seahawks have been on fire over the last eight weeks, winning 12 of their last 13 games and all seven at home this season. The Seahawks disposed of William & Mary, 101-77, on Thursday night to push Head Coach Kevin Keatts' home record to 29-4 in three seasons.
 
"We never worry about early leads. I know that our offense will kick in. We just want to be solid on the defensive end when we're not scoring. Eight points for us is not a lot of points because of our ability to score at five different positions."
 
One of the key storylines for Saturday's clash is the looming rebounding battle between CAA leader Rokas Gustys of Hofstra and second-place Devontae Cacok of UNCW. Gustys ranks first in the league and second among NCAA Division I players with 12.3 rebounds per game and Cacok follows closely behind at 9.8 rpg.
 
Gustys has enjoyed some big games against the Seahawks. The 6-9, 260-pound Lithuanian scored 18 points and grabbed 23 rebounds in last year's CAA finals and has averaged 15.6 points and 8.4 rebounds in five matchups against UNCW. He pulled down a career-high 25 caroms earlier this season during a win over South Dakota in the Gulf Coast Showcase in Estero, Fla.
 
The Seahawks lead the all-time series by a narrow 18-17 margin, but have won three of the last four matchups between the two teams. However, Hofstra has beaten the Seahawks during their last two visits to the coast, winning, 68-56, in Keatts' first season on Jan. 3, 2015, and then claiming a 70-69 verdict last year on Feb. 25, 2016, behind CAA Player-of-the-Year Juan'ya Green.
 
All five of UNCW's starters have scored double figures in UNCW's last two games and reserve guard Jordon Talley got into the act on Thursday to give the Seahawks six men in double digits for the first time since an 87-83 overtime win over Hofstra on Dec. 1 2007.
 
Sophomore guard C.J. Bryce (17.8) anchors four players in double figures for the Seahawks entering Saturday's contest. Chris Flemings (16.0), Denzel Ingram (15.4) and Cacok (13.8) provide several options in UNCW's explosive attack.
 
After averaging just 6.5 minutes one year ago, Cacok has developed into a beast in the CAA with three straight double-double outings and multiple dunks each game.
 
Keatts said, "Devontae's playing well. He has to become a focal point of your defense now. He gives us a presence inside because he's a great finisher. You can't just concentrate on our guards. The difference in Devontae between last year and this year is he's more aggressive. It's unbelievable what a year can do."
 
Hofstra, meanwhile, features one of the top freshmen in the CAA in freshman guard Eli Pemberton, who is collecting 13.7 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.1 assists each game. Junior guard Justin Wright-Foreman is chipping in 13.6 ppg and senior guard Brian Bernardi is collecting 12.5 ppg.
 
The Seahawks lead the CAA in attendance with 4,418 fans per game and have reeled off seven straight home wins this season. UNCW has not lost at home since, you guessed it, a 70-69 loss to Hofstra last Feb. 25. Even so, Keatts is promising a focused approach as the stretch run of the season gets under way.
 
"We're staying in the moment," Keatts said of UNCW's recent surge. "It's hard to hide some of our stats. We're flattered with our start and I'm happy with the way we're playing. We just have to move on to the next game.
 
"We have a great product, we're playing very good basketball and I hope the community will continue to come out."
 
Following Saturday's battle with the Pride, the Seahawks travel to Charleston for a televised contest on Thursday vs. the Cougars at TD Arena.

Season tickets remain available by visiting the UNCW Athletics Ticket Office in Trask Coliseum, calling 1-800-808-UNCW or clicking on the Tickets button via UNCWSports.com. Tickets start as low as $99, with 5 and 8-game mini-plans also available.
 
For more information on the UNCW men's basketball team throughout the 2016-17 season, visit UNCWsports.com and click on the Men's Basketball button. Additional information is also available on UNCW's social media channels: Facebook (UNCW Men's Basketball), Twitter (@UNCWmenshoops), Instagram (UNCWBasketball).
 
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Players Mentioned

C.J. Bryce

#12 C.J. Bryce

G
6' 5"
Sophomore
Devontae Cacok

#15 Devontae Cacok

F
6' 7"
Sophomore
Chris Flemmings

#1 Chris Flemmings

G
6' 5"
Redshirt Senior
Denzel Ingram

#10 Denzel Ingram

G
6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
Jordon Talley

#4 Jordon Talley

G
6' 0"
Junior

Players Mentioned

C.J. Bryce

#12 C.J. Bryce

6' 5"
Sophomore
G
Devontae Cacok

#15 Devontae Cacok

6' 7"
Sophomore
F
Chris Flemmings

#1 Chris Flemmings

6' 5"
Redshirt Senior
G
Denzel Ingram

#10 Denzel Ingram

6' 0"
Redshirt Senior
G
Jordon Talley

#4 Jordon Talley

6' 0"
Junior
G