WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Fresh off a season-opening victory against Mount Olive on Wednesday night, the UNCW women's basketball team hits the road for the first time in the 2021-22 campaign on Sunday, Nov. 14, with a 2 p.m. non-conference tilt against Duke at historic Cameron Indoor Stadium.
 
The game between the Seahawks and Blue Devils may be seen online via ACC Network Extra with Chris Edwards calling the action. Live stats for Sunday's matinee can also be found at UNCWStats.com.
 
UNCW used double-digit scoring efforts from three players, including a 16-point showing from graduate student guard Sierra DaCosta, to outlast Mount Olive, 74-65, in Wednesday's lid-lifter. The Seahawks trailed by a 46-45 margin in the third quarter before closing the frame with a 12-5 spurt to take the lead for good.
 
DaCosta, one of six Seahawks to make their UNCW debut in the victory, shot 3-for-11 from the field but was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Senior guard Carrie Gross came off the bench to net 13 points while redshirt senior forward Micah Hoggatt set a pair of career highs with 13 points and eight rebounds.
 
Duke stands 2-0 on the young season after claiming a 70-56 victory at Dayton on Friday night. The Blue Devils, who opened the year with a commanding 95-39 victory over Winthrop in the season opener, used a balanced scoring effort with four players in double figures against the Flyers.
 
Graduate student guard Lexi Gordon paced the Blue Devils at Dayton by knocking down 5-of-10 three-pointers en route to a team-high 15 points. Freshman Shayeann Day-Wilson and junior Celeste Taylor chipped in 13 and 11 points, respectively, as Duke led for nearly 37 minutes.
 
Gordon, a transfer from Texas Tech, has been stellar for Coach Kara Lawson's side in the two games, averaging 16.0 points per outing while shooting 52.4 percent from the field. The Fort Worth, Texas, product has also drained 10-of-20 shots from long range.
 
Taylor, meanwhile, is contributing 11.0 points and a team-high 7.5 rebounds per contest.  
 
FIVE FACTS TO KNOW
A Baker's Dozen – UNCW and Duke rekindle their series for the 13th time on Sunday. The Blue Devils own a 10-2 edge over the Seahawks and have won six straight installments.   
 
Familiar Foe – Duke Assistant Coach Beth Cunningham is very familiar with the Seahawks after facing them during her time at VCU and Notre Dame. Cunningham posted a 13-12 record against UNCW with the Rams and was also on the Notre Dame coaching staff when the Fighting Irish beat the Seahawks to open the 2013-14 season.   
 
Crazy Eights – Graduate student guard Sierra DaCosta converted all eight of her free throws in Wednesday's win over Mount Olive, marking the 21st time a UNCW player has been perfect from the charity stripe with at least eight attempts.   
 
It's Been a While – Redshirt senior forward Micah Hoggatt, who missed the entire 2019-20 and 2020-21 seasons due to a pair of injuries, made her first regular season appearance in 972 days when she started against Mount Olive on Wednesday night.
 
Crossing the Atlantic – UNCW stands 3-37 all-time against the current members of the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Seahawks own two wins over Duke along with a win against Pittsburgh.  

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