Seahawks Head To Frigid Northeast

Game No. 23: UNCW "Seahawks" Vs. Hofstra "Pride"
Thursday, Feb. 1, 2018 | 7 p.m. | Mack Sports Complex (5,052) | Hempstead, N.Y.

	UNCW "Seahawks"		Hofstra "Pride"
	2017-18 Record: 7-15, 4-6 CAA		2017-18 Record: 13-9, 6-4 CAA
	Last Game: l. vs. William & Mary, 84-81, 01-27-18		Last Game: w. at Delaware, 64-59, 01-27-18
	Head Coach: C.B. McGrath (1st Season)		Head Coach: Joe Mihalich (5th Season)
	Roster \| Schedule-Results \| Statistics \| Website		Roster \| Schedule-Results \| Statistics \| Website

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – The UNCW men's basketball team enters the final month of the 2017-18 regular season with a challenging start – a two-game road swing to the Northeast to take on Colonial Athletic Association contenders Hofstra and Northeastern.

The Seahawks (7-15, 4-6 CAA) open the five-day trip by battling the Pride (13-9, 6-4 CAA) on Thursday night at the Mack Sports Complex in Hempstead, N.Y. The 7 p.m. tip-off completes the first rotation through the league for Coach C.B. McGrath's team.

On top of facing one of the CAA's top-tier teams, the Seahawks will be trying to corral Hofstra sophomore guard Justin Wright-Foreman, the league's top scorer and one of the most explosive players in the country.

"Justin Wright-Foreman's done a great job for them," said McGrath. "He gets a ton of looks from their offense and it's hard to keep their guards from getting the ball. We need to do a good job of trying to push him out farther on the court, so he doesn't get to his normal spots offensively. It's easier said than done because other teams have tried to do that.

"He's a scorer and knows how to attack different kinds of defenses. He understands the game of college basketball and where he can get his shots."

The 6-1, 185-pound Wright-Foreman averaged 18.1 points last year as a freshman and earned Second-Team All-CAA honors. This season, he's pushed his average to 25.2 points per game and leads the conference in minutes.

The Seahawks and Pride collide twice in a 10-day stretch in the final month of the season. UNCW has eight games remaining in the campaign - three at Trask Coliseum and five on the road.

Ten of UNCW's 22 games have been decided by five points or less, with four overtime contests. The club's last six CAA games have been decided by four points or less and the Seahawks have gone 3-3 in that stretch.

Close games, McGrath said, "have been the norm lately with my bunch. Our guys have been battling until the end. We've been in a lot of one possession games. Coaching and playing in close games never hurts you. The more experience you get in those types of situations, the better you get. Nobody goes out there thinking they want to play in an overtime game."

In its last appearance, UNCW battled back from a nine-point halftime deficit before falling short, 84-81, to William & Mary on Saturday night at Trask Coliseum. Sophomore forward Justin Pierce and senior guard Connor Burchfield poured in 23 points apiece for the Tribe, which shot 55.8 percent. Senior guard Jordon Talley paced the Seahawks with a career-high 25 points.

Hofstra, meanwhile, snapped a two-game losing streak by downing Delaware, 64-59, in Newark, Del. Wright-Foreman poured in a game-high 32 points - half of the Pride's points - for his sixth game this season with 30+ points. Hofstra trailed by eight points at halftime, 36-28, but held the Blue Hens to 33.3 percent shooting in the second half to complete the come-from-behind victory.

UNCW and HU lock horns for the 38th time since Hofstra joined the CAA during the 2001-02 season. The Seahawks own a slim 19-18 edge in the series, but have taken five of the last six matchups between the two rivals. The Seahawks are 8-8 lifetime at the Mack Sports Complex and have reeled off three in a row over the Pride in Hempstead.

The Seahawks and Pride have played in some nailbiters, especially in Hempstead. The two teams have played three overtimes in 16 games in Hempstead and 13 of the 16 contests have been decided by single digits, including the last five matchups on the Island.

Rebounds will be hard to come by as the CAA's top two rebounders and two of the best in the country come together. UNCW's Devontae Cacok leads the CAA on the glass at 13.3 per game and tops all NCAA Division I players in the category. HU's Rokas Gustys ranks second behind Cacok in the CAA at 11.5 rpg and also ranks in the top-10 nationally. In four matchups against each other, Gustys has averaged 14.0 ppg and 18.0 rpg, while Cacok has collected 2.0 ppg and 3.5 rpg.

The 6-9, 260-pound Gustys has enjoyed some big games against the Seahawks and owns career averages of 10.3 points and 15.1 rebounds vs. UNCW. He has pulled down 20 or more rebounds three times vs. the Seahawks during his career in Hempstead.

"He's a strong kid," McGrath said of the bulky Gustys. "When he guards you in the post, he doesn't need anyone to come down and double team. It's quite an advantage to have a guy that doesn't give up any ground. It's going to be a battle between two strong guys. They know how to play against each other and are looking forward to playing against each other."

The matchup also features a trio of 1,000-point scorers: UNCW's Jordon Talley (1,126) and Hofstra's Wright-Foreman (1,178) and Gustys (1,075).

Following Thursday's contest, UNCW concludes its two-game trip by taking on Northeastern on Saturday afternoon in Boston. The Seahawks and Huskies square off at 4 p.m. in a matinee at historic Matthews Arena.

Live Seahawk Digital Network (SDN) coverage of the UNCW-HU contest begins at 6:45 p.m. with Mike Vaccaro, the "Voice of the Seahawks," on the call. Visit UNCWsports.com/SDN for live audio coverage. In addition, a radio broadcast of the game may be heard on "The Ticket" 95.9 FM and WKXB (99.9 FM-HD3).

For more information on the UNCW men's basketball team, 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

#15 Devontae Cacok: F; 6' 7"; Junior

#4 Jordon Talley: G; 6' 1"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#15 Devontae Cacok
: 6' 7"; Junior
: F

#4 Jordon Talley
: 6' 1"; Senior
: G

UNC Wilmington Athletics

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Events/Results

Seahawks Head To Frigid Northeast

Players Mentioned

#15 Devontae Cacok

#4 Jordon Talley

Players Mentioned

#15 Devontae Cacok

#4 Jordon Talley