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Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Seahawks Finish First Half Of CAA Slate

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Interim head coach Rob Burke of UNCW spent five years on the staff of The Citadel and knows Charleston well. Early Saturday, he returns to his former stomping grounds with the Seahawk men's basketball team searching for a rare road victory.
 
The Seahawks, 6-15 overall and 1-7 in the Colonial Athletic Association, battle Charleston's Cougars in a 4 p.m. tip at TD Arena. CofC stands 12-8 and 6-2 in conference play. It's the final game in the first rotation through the league for both clubs.
 
Winning on the road has been a challenge for the Seahawks this season. UNCW stands 1-9 away from home and has lost 15 consecutive road games, including 11 straight CAA road tests.
 
"We have to get better, we don't have any time to waste," said Burke. "It's going to be a balancing act the rest of the year. We have to do some things to get better defensively, but also understand what we want to get done offensively.
 
"We have our work cut out for us. Charleston is really, really good. I've watched a lot of film and they have a heckuva post player in Sam Miller and as good as Northeastern's Jordan Roland is, Grant Riller is the best guard in this league.
 
"We're just going to go down there and compete. Our guys are excited, they know how good Charleston is. We have nothing to lose. We want to try to get better as a team and make some noise. We have to go on the road first and get battle tested in this new season that we're playing."
 
The Seahawks are coming off a thrilling 76-74 overtime victory over Northeastern last Saturday at Trask Coliseum. UNCW shot better than 50 percent from the floor for the first time since Nov. 26 and limited the Huskies to 41.3 percent from the floor.
 
One of the highlights for the Seahawks has been the play of freshman playmaker Shykeim Phillips. The Winterville, N.C., point guard was named CAA Rookie of the Week for the second time early Monday. He averaged 13.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in a pair of games vs. Hofstra and Northeastern last week and shot 54.2 percent from the floor.
 
Just one game after facing the CAA's leading scorer in NU's Jordan Roland, the Seahawks take on another major point producer in Riller, the CAA's No. 2 scorer. UNCW has squared off against three of the CAA's top-5 scorers in the last three outings.

"Grant Riller's a special player for this league," Burke continued. "We have to do a great job on him and make someone else beat us. They're just like their head coach, Earl Grant – they're tough and gritty. He was a tough, hard-nosed on the ball defender and disciplined."
 
In their last outing, Charleston edged CAA preseason favorite Hofstra, 69-67, when senior forward Sam Miller delivered a game-winning layup with nine seconds remaining at TD Arena. Miller finished with a career-high tying 20 points to help the Cougars snap a two-game skid in conference play. Riller posted his third career double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds and came up with a big steal to preserve the home win for Grant's club.
 
Saturday's contest will be carried over the air on The Breeze, 95.9 FM, with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro on the call. The game may be heard worldwide on the station's website, www.959thebreeze.com. A live video stream is available on FloSports.
 
Following Saturday's game, the Seahawks embark on a two-game road trip to James Madison and Towson next weekend. UNCW kicks off the journey on Thursday, Jan. 30, with a rematch against the Tigers in a 7 p.m. tip at SECU Arena.
 
Seahawk Storylines
  • The Seahawks, who open a three-game road swing, have only 10 games remaining in the regular season - five at home and five on the road.
  • The Cougars own a slight 15-13 advantage in the 28-game series with the Seahawks after reeling off four straight wins. The regional rivals collided for the first time on Jan. 29, 1990, and became even bigger foes on Jan. 22, 2014, when the Cougars claimed a 75-70 victory in Charleston's inaugural season in the CAA.
  • CofC took both games in the series one year ago. Twelve of the 28 games have been decided by five points or less.
  • CofC is in its eighth year in the CAA in 2019-20. The Seahawks own a 9-6 advantage over the Cougars in conference games, but CofC has taken five of the last six meetings. The Seahawks reeled off eight straight wins in the series before CofC edged UNCW, 67-66, on Feb. 2, 2017, marking the only home loss in 14 games that season for the Seahawks.
  • Charleston is the lone South Carolina opponent on UNCW's schedule this season. The Seahawks own a 61-46 (.570) record against 13 teams from the Palmetto State through the years.
  • The Seahawks stand 1-4 in afternoon tips in 2019-20, with three more early starts on the remaining schedule (at Charleston, at James Madison, at Hofstra).
  • The Seahawks own a combined 33-29 (.532) record against three Charleston opponents: CofC (13-15), The Citadel (1-2) and Charleston Southern (19-15). UNCW stands 5-8 vs. the Cougars in Charleston through the years and 3-3 at TD Arena.
  • UNCW has just two games remaining on its eight-game January slate. The Seahawks are 1-5 this month heading into the final two games of the month.



 
 
 
 
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Players Mentioned

Shykeim Phillips

#2 Shykeim Phillips

G
6' 0"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Shykeim Phillips

#2 Shykeim Phillips

6' 0"
Freshman
G