Seahawks Seek Series Sweep Of Dukes

Game No. 26: UNCW "Seahawks" Vs. James Madison "Dukes"
Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2018 | 7 p.m. | JMU Convocation Center (6,426) | Harrisonburg, Va.

	UNCW "Seahawks"		James Madison "Dukes"
	2017-18 Record: 8-17, 5-8 CAA		2017-18 Record: 7-18, 3-9 CAA
	Last Game: w. vs. Hofstra, 90-70, 02-10-18		Last Game: w. vs. Towson, 79-73, 02-03-18
	Head Coach: C.B. McGrath (1st Season)		Head Coach: Louis Rowe (2nd Season)
	Roster \| Schedule-Results \| Statistics \| Website		Roster \| Schedule-Results \| Statistics \| Website

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW shoots for its first Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball series sweep of the season on Tuesday when the Seahawks travel to the rolling Shenandoah Valley to face James Madison's Dukes.

The Seahawks (8-17, 5-8 CAA) and Dukes (7-18, 3-9 CAA) are looking to move up in the CAA standings with just four weeks remaining before the CAA Tournament in Charleston. UNCW holds down seventh place in the loop, while JMU sits in the cellar.

Tuesday's 7 p.m. clash at the JMU Convocation Center – rescheduled due to health reasons from Feb. 8 - kicks off a challenging stretch of three games in five days for UNCW, and has first-year skipper C.B. McGrath bracing for a busy week.

"It will be tough, but it's the situation we're in and we can't control it," he said. "All we can do is get prepared for the first game and get prepared for the next game after that and the next game after that. We were going to have to play three games in a week at some point.

"I was hoping no one would have to play too many minutes against Hofstra and try to get a bunch of guys in there. Playing three games in a week is never going to be easy."

UNCW is coming off one of its best performances of the season after pulling away from Hofstra in the second half last Saturday in a 90-70 rout of the Pride at Trask Coliseum. Junior forward Devontae Cacok's 25 points and 16 rebounds spurred the Seahawks, who limited the Pride to 31.3 percent shooting in the second half. He shared CAA Player-of-the-Week honors on Monday with Charleston sophomore guard Grant Riller.

The Dukes last played on Feb. 3 and gained a split of its series with Towson, 79-73, at the Convo. Redshirt junior guard Stuckey Mosley exploded for 35 points and junior forward DeVelle Phillips matched a career-high with 17 points to help JMU rally from an 11-point deficit in the second half. A transfer from Toledo, Mosley averaged 28.5 points for the week and has reached double digits in scoring in 18 straight games, topping the 20-point mark 12 times.

In the first meeting between UNCW and JMU, Cacok turned in a monster game of 26 points and 24 rebounds to power UNCW to its seventh straight win over JMU, 71-68, on Jan. 25, 2018, at Trask Coliseum. Cacok matched his own record for most rebounds in a CAA game and recorded only the second 20-20 game in UNCW history. Mosley poured in 21 of his team-high 23 points in the second half for the Dukes.

Cacok is one of 21 players the NCAA Division I ranks to average a double-double in scoring and rebounding. The Riverdale, Ga., product is collecting 17.2 points per game and remains the nation's leading rebounder at 13.3 rebounds each time on the court. He is shooting 57.1 percent from the floor and has snared a CAA-best 111 offensive rebounds to his credit.

Senior guard Jordon Talley returns to his home state. A native of Richmond, Talley is enjoying an outstanding final year in the Teal & Blue, averaging 16.7 points and leading the team in three-point shooting with 55 trifectas. He became the program's 24th 1,000-point scorer earlier in the season and has collected 1,180 points in 118 career appearances with the Seahawks.

UNCW owns a 40-33 advantage in the 73-game series. The Seahawks have not lost to JMU since Feb. 15, 2014, in Harrisonburg, Va., in a two-point defeat, 64-62, at the JMU Convocation Center.

The Seahawks are 13-20 lifetime in Harrisonburg and 13-18 vs. the Dukes on their current home floor. UNCW has won three in a row at the Convo, but the two clubs have split the last 10 meetings in the Valley.

After being one of the CAA's best road teams the last two seasons, the Seahawks have struggled away from home this season. UNCW is 1-13 away from Wilmington in 2017-18, including 1-9 in true road contests. UNCW's lone road win came on Jan.11 in an 80-78 overtime victory at Elon.

Following Tuesday's matchup, the Seahawks return to the North Carolina coast to close out the home schedule with games on Thursday (Feb. 15) vs. Elon and Saturday (Feb. 17) vs. Charleston.

Overall, the Seahawks have just five games left in the regular season – two at home (Elon|Charleston) and three on the road (James Madison|William & Mary|Drexel).

Live Seahawk Digital Network (SDN) coverage of the UNCW-JMU contest begins at 6:45 p.m. with Mike Vaccaro, the "Voice of the Seahawks," on the call from Harrisonburg. 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 Seek Series Sweep Of Dukes

Players Mentioned

#15 Devontae Cacok

#4 Jordon Talley

Players Mentioned

#15 Devontae Cacok

#4 Jordon Talley