Seahawks Head North For CAA Road Trip

Game No. 15: UNCW "Seahawks" Vs. Towson "Tigers"
Friday, Jan. 5, 2018 | 7 p.m. | SECU Arena (5,200) | Towson, Md.

	UNCW "Seahawks"		Towson "Tigers"
	2017-18 Record: 4-10, 1-1 CAA		2017-18 Record: 10-5, 0-2 CAA
	Last Game: w. vs. Drexel, 107-87, 01-02-18		Last Game: l at Elon, 75-72, 01-02-18
	Head Coach: C.B. McGrath (1st Season)		Head Coach: Pat Skerry (7th Season)
	Roster \| Schedule-Results \| Statistics \| Website		Roster \| Schedule-Results \| Statistics \| Website

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Three days after notching its first Colonial Athletic Association victory of the season, the UNCW men's basketball team embarks on its first conference road trip of the season and it's to the frigid mid-Atlantic region.

UNCW takes on Towson on Friday in a 7 p.m. tip-off at black-and-gold clad SECU Arena. The Seahawks then move up to Newark, Del., for a Sunday afternoon rematch with Delaware.

Live Seahawk Digital Network (SDN) coverage of the UNCW-Towson contest begins at 6:45 p.m. with Mike Vaccaro, the "Voice of the Seahawks," calling the action. 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).

"We need to get off the snide on the road and see if we can get something done," said UNCW Head Coach C.B. McGrath. "But it's going to have to happen on the defensive end of the court. You're just not going to go into people's homes and outscore them every night. We've done that at home because we felt comfortable.

"On the road, we haven't been in those gyms as often. We have to sit down, really defend and try to do some things on that end of the court."

The Seahawks, 4-10 overall and 1-1 in the CAA, are looking for some early momentum as the conference race picks up steam at the midway point of the overall schedule. Towson, 10-5 and 0-2, opened the non-conference season with a flurry, reeling off 10 consecutive wins at one point, but has dropped four in a row heading into Friday's tilt.

UNCW secured Coach C.B. McGrath's first CAA victory on Tuesday with its 107-87 conquest of visiting Drexel at Trask Coliseum. The Seahawks cranked out their highest offensive output of the season in the triumph over the Dragons. Led by five players in double figures, the Seahawks shot a season-high 58.7 percent and dished out 19 assists in the convincing win.

Junior forward and CAA Player-of-the-Year candidate Devontae Cacok led the nation in field goal percentage one year ago and he's all over the national stats again this season - this time for his relentless work on the glass. He leads all NCAA Division I players in rebounds per game (13.4), ranks second in total rebounds (187) and offensive rebounds per game (4.86), and ranks third in defensive rebounds per game (8.50) and

The Seahawks are in the Baltimore area to square off with Towson for the first time in 2017-18. UNCW kickstarted last year's championship run with a win over the Tigers on New Year's Eve at SECU Arena.

Tonight's game features one of the CAA's top offenses against one of the league's best defenses. The Seahawks rank second in the CAA in scoring offense (81.3 ppg), while the Tigers are second in the circuit in scoring defense (65.8 ppg) and first in field goal percentage defense (.396).

The Seahawks are still looking for their first victory away from Wilmington. In eight games away from home - true road games and neutral site contests - UNCW has dropped contests by an average of 17.8 ppg. UNCW (0-8) is the lone team in the CAA without a victory in road/neutral games this season.

UNCW and Towson are meeting for the 37th time, but only the fifth time (2-2) at SECU Arena. The Seahawks own a 22-14 advantage in the series and have won six of the last seven matchups in the series. Combined with an 8-7 ledger at the Towson Center, UNCW stands 10-9 on the Tigers' home floor.

Three of the CAA's top-9 scorers will be on display on Friday night. Towson's Zane Martin (18.7 ppg) ranks fourth in the conference in scoring and Cacok (18.1 ppg) is right behind him in fifth. Senior point man Jordon Talley (16.4 ppg) of UNCW is ninth in the CAA.

The Seahawks have split four games with the Tigers in their new home since making their first appearance there on Jan. 11, 2014.

UNCW has won six of the last 10 meetings between the two schools and six of the last seven pairings. Towson has averaged 69.6 ppg and UNCW has collected 69.7ppg in that span. The Seahawks have scored 70 or more points in the last three meetings between the two teams.

In the last matchup with the Tigers, C.J. Bryce erupted for a career-high 28 points to help UNCW clinch its third straight CAA regular season title and the No. 1 seed in the CAA Tournament with an 83-78 victory over Towson on Feb. 23, 2017, at Trask Coliseum. Bryce anchored four players in double figures for the Seahawks, who completed a sweep of the Tigers by forcing 15 turnovers and converting 20-of-25 at the charity stripe. TU's William Adala Moto collected a career-high 33 points in a losing cause.

Spanning over to last season, UNCW has won 16 of its last 20 CAA games. UNCW's last road loss in the conference came on Feb. 11, 2017, when Elon edged the Seahawks, 77-76, in Elon, N.C.

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

#12 C.J. Bryce: G; 6' 5"; Sophomore

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

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

Players Mentioned

#12 C.J. Bryce
: 6' 5"; Sophomore
: G

#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 North For CAA Road Trip

Players Mentioned

#12 C.J. Bryce

#15 Devontae Cacok

#4 Jordon Talley

Players Mentioned

#12 C.J. Bryce

#15 Devontae Cacok

#4 Jordon Talley