Seahawks Seek Split With Blue Hens

Game No. 26: UNCW "Seahawks" Vs. Delaware "Blue Hens"
Saturday, Feb. 9, 2019 | Bob Carpenter Center (5,100) | 7 p.m. | Newark, Del.

	UNCW "Seahawks"		Delaware "Blue Hens"
	2018-19 Record: 8-17, 4-8 CAA		2018-19 Record: 14-11, 6-6 CAA
	Last Game: l. at Drexel, 69-57, Feb. 7, 2019		Last Game: l. vs. Charleston, 83-75, Feb. 7, 2019
	Head Coach: C.B. McGrath (2nd Season)		Head Coach: Martin Ingelsby (3rd Season)
	Roster \| Schedule-Results \| Statistics \| Website		Roster \| Schedule-Results \| Statistics \| Website

NEWARK, Delaware – The UNCW men's basketball team finishes up a two-game swing to the mid-Atlantic region late Saturday when the Seahawks duel with Delaware as the Colonial Athletic Association's regular season marches toward March.

The Seahawks (8-17, 4-8 CAA) battle the Blue Hens (14-11, 6-6 CAA) in a 7 p.m. tip at the Bob Carpenter Center in Newark. UNCW is making its 16^th appearance at the Bob and owns a 7-9 mark on the Blue Hens' home court.

Live Seahawk Digital Network (SDN) coverage of the UNCW-Delaware 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 and video coverage. A radio broadcast of the game may be heard on 95.9 FM "The Breeze" | WKXB HD 2 – 95.9 FM and 99.9 HD2 and live stats are available at UNCWStats.com.

"Delaware is obviously a good team," said second-year UNCW head coach C.B. McGrath. "They started off the conference season really well, but they've hit a little bit of a tough stretch. We'll rest up and get focused on what we need to do defensively. They control the tempo and spread the offense out quite a bit. They have some guys who can really score, so we'll have to do a great job defensively."

UNCW is coming off a 69-57 loss at Drexel on Thursday night in a game that saw the Dragons sizzle from long range in the second half. Drexel drained 7-of-13 behind the arc in the final period after managing just 1-of-9 in the opening 20 minutes.

The Seahawks were in the thick of things most of the contest, but the Dragons rode the hot shooting of graduate guard Trevor John to the victory. John missed all three of his field goal attempts in the first half and bounced back in the final period, sinking 4-of-6 treys to help Zach Spiker's club gain a split in the regular season series.

Senior forward Devontae Cacok paced the Seahawks with 15 points and nine rebounds. Freshman guard Jaylen Sims made his fourth career start and reached double digits for the fourth time with 11 points. Rookie playmaker Kai Toews, battling illness, doled out three assists to move into second on the single season assist chart with 191 helpers in 2018-19.

In the first game of the season between the Seahawks and Blue Hens back on Jan. 10, senior forward Devontae Cacok tied UNCW's career rebounding record, but rookie guard Ithiel Horton matched Delaware's freshman scoring mark with 31 points in an 82-69 victory over the Seahawks at Trask Coliseum.

Horton, the CAA's freshman scoring leader, went 10-of-15 from the floor and 9-of-13 from long range to tie UD's freshman scoring mark. He also set a school record with his nine triples on the night. The Seahawks got no closer than 10 points down the stretch as the Blue Hens blistered the nets, shooting 52.2 percent from the floor in the final period en route to 51.9 percent on the night.

THE STORYLINES

THE SERIES: The Seahawks have faced Delaware more than any other former America East member since UD, Hofstra, Towson and Drexel joined the league 18 years ago. UNCW holds a 22-14 advantage in the series and owns five CAA Tournament victories (2002, 2003, 2006, 2008, 2017) over the Blue Hens.

UNCW AT THE BOB: The Seahawks stand 6-9 against Delaware overall on its home floor. UNCW has won two of its last three games in Newark, but the Blue Hens have taken eight of the last 10 matchups in Newark.

BATTLE OF THE BIGS: Saturday's tilt features two of the CAA's big men in Cacok and UD's Eric Carter. Cacok leads the CAA with 12.0 rebounds per game, while Carter ranks second at 10.2 rpg. Cacok also tops the loop in field goal percentage (.630), followed by Carter (.603).

NEXT UP: The Seahawks head back to Wilmington early Sunday for their final two home games of the regular season. UNCW entertains Northeastern on Valentine's Day, Thursday, Feb. 14, 2019, at 7 p.m., before hosting Hofstra in the home finale and "Senior Night" on Saturday, Feb. 16, at 7 p.m.

EVERYTHING SEAHAWKS: 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"; Senior

#10 Kai Toews: G; 6' 2"; Freshman

#30 Jaylen Sims: G; 6' 6"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

#10 Kai Toews
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: G

#30 Jaylen Sims
: 6' 6"; Freshman
: G

UNC Wilmington Athletics

Scoreboard

Events/Results

Seahawks Seek Split With Blue Hens

Players Mentioned

#15 Devontae Cacok

#10 Kai Toews

#30 Jaylen Sims

Players Mentioned

#15 Devontae Cacok

#10 Kai Toews

#30 Jaylen Sims