Cougars Visit Trask On Senior Night

Game No. 28: UNCW "Seahawks" Vs. Charleston "Cougars"
Saturday, Feb. 17, 2018 | 7 p.m. | Trask Coliseum (5,200) | Wilmington, N.C.

	UNCW "Seahawks"		Charleston "Cougars"
	2017-18 Record: 9-18, 6-9 CAA		2017-18 Record: 21-6, 12-3 CAA
	Last Game: w vs. Elon, 87-63, 2-15-18		Last Game: w. at James Madison, 81-78, OT, 2-15-18
	Head Coach: C.B. McGrath (1st Season)		Head Coach: Earl Grant (4th Season)
	Roster \| Schedule-Results \| Statistics \| Website		Roster \| Schedule-Results \| Statistics \| Website

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Three Seahawk seniors – Marcus Bryan, Nick Powell and Jordon Talley – make their final home appearance on Saturday when Charleston's high-flying Cougars visit Trask Coliseum for the 2017-18 home finale.

The Seahawks (9-18, 6-9 CAA) are coming off an impressive 87-63 dismantling of Elon on Thursday in a game that saw Coach C.B. McGrath's club torch the nets early and stun the Phoenix. The Cougars (21-6, 12-3 CAA) extended their winning streak to nine games by outlasting James Madison, 81-78, in overtime at the JMU Convocation Center on Thursday night.

Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. at Trask Coliseum. A special pregame ceremony honoring Bryan, Powell and Talley, as well as three senior managers, is scheduled to begin at 6:40 p.m.

"We just made shots," McGrath said following Thursday's contest. The Seahawks sizzled in the early going, making 15 of their first 19 field goal attempts, and caught the Phoenix off guard in a lopsided win before 4,173 fans at Trask.

"It's getting down to the end of the season and there aren't that many opportunities left. We just want to keep getting better. As long as we're progressing and getting better, it doesn't matter what seed we'll be in the tournament."

It will take a Herculean effort for the Seahawks to take down the Cougars. Earl Grant's bunch has been white-hot, reeling off nine straight wins and not losing in more than a month. Elon was the last team to knock off CofC, beating the Cougars, 63-58, on Jan. 13 at Alumni Gym.

UNCW's trio of seniors have combined to play in 259 games, scoring 1,620 points with 728 rebounds and 496 assists. All three will start on Saturday in their last home game.

Talley, in particular, has enjoyed a fine senior campaign. The Richmond, Va., product ranks second on the club in scoring at 16.4 points per game and sits 11^th in the conference in scoring and second in assists. He bucketed 15 points vs. Elon to hike his four-year total to 1,208 points, just 13 points shy of moving past Dave Wolf into No. 10 on the all-time points list.

Talley's not the only Seahawk enjoying a spectacular campaign Junior forward Devontae Cacok continues to lead the nation in rebounding at 13.4 points per game and posted the third 20-rebound game of his career with 21 points to go along with 17 points in Thursday's convincing win. The Riverdale, Ga., forward posted his CAA-leading 19^th double-double of the season and need just two points to join Talley in the 1,000-point club.

UNCW and CofC have a history of playing close games. UNCW has won eight out of the last 10 matchups between the two schools, but 12 clashes in the 25-game series have been decided by five points or less.

The Seahawks lead the all-time series by a 13-12 margin, including a thrilling win in last year's CAA Championship game. UNCW stands 9-3 against CofC since the Cougars joined the CAA in 2014-15.

Overall, UNCW and CofC are playing for the 12th time at Trask Coliseum. The Seahawks are 6-5 against the Cougars in Wilmington and have won three of the last four meetings in the Port City. UNCW is 3-1 against CofC at home since the Cougars joined the CAA in 2013-14.

In the last matchup between the two teams back on Jan. 18, senior guard Joe Chealey's two free throws with six seconds left gave the Cougars the breathing room they needed to slip past the Seahawks, 80-76, at TD Arena. The Cougars remained perfect at home after surviving a furious comeback by the Seahawks in the second half. Chealey anchored Charleston's balanced scoring attack with 18 points, with all five Cougar starters reaching double digits. Ty Taylor pumped in 23 points to lead all scorers in the contest, including 17 in the second half, as the Seahawks stormed back down the stretch.

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

Following Saturday's battle with the Cougars, the Seahawks hit the road for their final two outings of the regular season. UNCW travels to Williamsburg, Va., on Thursday, Feb. 22, to face the Tribe of William & Mary before concluding the regular slate on Saturday, Feb. 24, at Drexel.

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

#30 Marcus Bryan: F; 6' 7"; Redshirt Senior

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

#14 Nick Powell: G; 6' 6"; Senior

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

#21 Ty Taylor: G; 6' 3"; Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#30 Marcus Bryan
: 6' 7"; Redshirt Senior
: F

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

#14 Nick Powell
: 6' 6"; Senior
: G

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

#21 Ty Taylor
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G

UNC Wilmington Athletics

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Events/Results

Cougars Visit Trask On Senior Night

Players Mentioned

#30 Marcus Bryan

#15 Devontae Cacok

#14 Nick Powell

#4 Jordon Talley

#21 Ty Taylor

Players Mentioned

#30 Marcus Bryan

#15 Devontae Cacok

#14 Nick Powell

#4 Jordon Talley

#21 Ty Taylor