WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW redshirt senior forward Micah Hoggatt had been waiting two years to have her moment in the spotlight. It was certainly worth the wait.
 
The Conyers, Ga., native scored a career-high 13 points and set another personal best with eight rebounds as the Seahawks held off a pesky Mount Olive squad to earn a 74-65 victory in their regular season opener at Trask Coliseum on Wednesday evening.
 
Hoggatt, who had not played in a regular season game since 2018-19 due to injury, anchored three Seahawks in double figures as UNCW won its opening game for the seventh time in the last eight seasons. She converted all four of her field goal attempts in addition to going 5-for-5 from the free throw line.
 
Graduate student guard Sierra DaCosta tallied a team-high 16 points, including a perfect 8-for-8 showing from the charity stripe, while senior guard Carrie Gross came off the bench to contribute 13 points with four rebounds.
 
Mount Olive, which lost its second straight exhibition contest, was paced by senior guard Azariah Fields' 20 points and five assists. The Wilmington, N.C., product hit 9-of-22 shots from the field and both of her free throws to lead three Trojans in double figures.
 
Senior forward Ivanda Hudjakova added 19 points on 7-of-12 shooting, including a 5-for-7 performance from beyond the arc, while senior guard Ayonna Cotton chipped in 13 points with five rebounds.  
 
Key Moment: Trailing by a 46-45 margin midway through the third quarter, the Seahawks used a 12-5 spurt to end the frame with a 57-51 lead they did not relinquish. Graduate student forward Dejah Carter netted five of her nine points to lead the charge.  
 
Game Notes:

• UNCW evened the regular season series against Mount Olive at 2-2 after beating the Trojans for the second straight time … The Seahawks also own a 2-0 advantage in exhibition games against the NCAA Division II opponent.
• The Seahawks stand 28-21 all-time in season openers.
• UNCW also owns a commanding 40-9 record in home openers, including a 17-1 mark in the last 18 instances … The Seahawks have also won their last eight home openers.
• Led by Carter, who narrowly missed a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds, the Seahawks held a 43-28 rebounding edge … UNCW also tallied 16 offensive rebounds, which the Seahawks converted into 21 second-chance points.
• UNCW, which finished the game shooting 19-for-24 from the free throw line, made its first 10 foul shots before a miss by sophomore guard Mary McMillan with four seconds left in the first half.
• UNCW outscored Mount Olive, 26-4, in bench points and had a 36-26 edge in points in the paint.
• DaCosta authored the 52nd double-digit scoring output of her college career.
• The Seahawks hit 3-of-9 three-pointers, extending their streak of consecutive games with at least one made triple to 113 games.
• UNCW improved to 26-5 under Coach Karen Barefoot when hitting the 70-point mark.

Up Next: UNCW plays its first road game of the 2021-22 season on Sunday, Nov. 14, when the Seahawks visit Duke for a 2 p.m. contest at historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.

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