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Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Seahawks, Chants Renew Rivalry

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – It's been 15 years since UNCW and Coastal Carolina have met on the basketball floor. All that changes Thursday night (Nov. 18, 2021) when the two clubs begin a two-game series that carries over to next year in Conway.
 
The Seahawks, 1-2, are coming off a 59-51 loss to Pitt on Tuesday night at the Petersen Events Center in Pittsburgh. UNCW has dropped its first pair of road contests early in 2021-22, falling at Illinois State and Pitt.
 
Thursday's matchup will be carried locally on The Breeze 95.9 FM and aired on the Colonial Athletic Association's streaming partner, FloHoops.com. Play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro and color analyst Marty Feurer will be on the call.
 
"We're excited about renewing the series with Coastal Carolina," said second-year UNCW head coach Takayo Siddle. "It will give fans from both schools an opportunity to see a road game that's close to home. We have a lot of respect for their program. Coach (Cliff) Ellis is a legend in the coaching profession, so we know his team will be well prepared and ready to play on Thursday night."
 
The charismatic Ellis and the Chanticleers haven't played since dispatching NCAA Division III Ferrum, 101-73, back on Nov. 9 at the HTC Center in Conway. Ellis, who has coached at NCAA Division I schools Auburn, Clemson, Coastal Carolina and South Alabama, needs just one victory for his 800th win as an NCAA Division I head coach.
 
Junior playmaker Shykeim Phillips tops the Seahawks in scoring after three outings with 12.0 points per game. The Winterville, N.C., product has scored 14, 15 and 7 points vs. Illinois State, Guilford and Pitt.
 
The Chanticleers are making their first appearance at Trask Coliseum since Dec. 9, 2007, when the Seahawks fashioned an 80-68 decision under then-head coach Benny Moss. Moss, who spent four seasons on the UNCW bench from 2006-07 to 2009-10, is now associate head coach with the Chanticleers.
 
Sophomore center Essam Mustafa of CCU presents a big challenge for the Seahawks. The 6-9, 250-pounder out of Cairo, Egypt, poured in 24 points – one off his career high – and added a game-high 14 rebounds in the lidlifter against Ferrum.
 
The Chants placed six men reach double figures in the victory over Ferrum and shot 50 percent from the field, including 10-of-30 behind the arc. Coastal also converted 13-of-16 free throws in the lopsided win.
 
Thursday marks the 13th meeting between the two schools. UNCW owns a 10-2 advantage in the series, but the Chanticleers claimed the last matchup, 90-86, on Dec. 19, 2007. The Seahawks won nine in a row at one point in the series from 1984 to 2007.
 
Following Thursday's clash with the Chants, the Seahawks leave Friday for Dover, Del., and a Saturday date at Delaware State. The contest is the front leg of a six-day road swing that will take the team from Delaware to Montana over the Thanksgiving holiday.
 
UNCW-CCU Net Notes
  • Teal will the color of the night on Thursday since it's the primary color for both schools.
  • Coastal Carolina is the closest opponent of the season for the Seahawks, with the two schools just 80 miles apart.
  • Takayo Siddle will be the sixth Seahawk head coach to face the Chanticleers in the 12-game series.
  • The Seahawks have played 10 of the current 12 schools in the Sun Belt Conference and stand an even 40-40 against the league.
  • CCU is the lone South Carolina opponent on the schedule this year. The Seahawks own a 59-44 (.573) record against 13 teams from the Palmetto State through the years.
  • UNCW's eight new players have contributed 55.5 percent of the offense (106 of 191 points) through three games in 2021-22. Returning transfer Jaylen Fornes tops the contributors with 83 points.
  • Freshman guard Trazarien White has been a pleasant surprise for the Seahawks. The Texas native made a big splash in his debut as a Seahawk in the season opener at Illinois State, scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds off the bench, with a pair of dunks. In Tuesday's loss at Pitt, he led the team with 14 points and added seven boards and three steals.
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Players Mentioned

Shykeim Phillips

#2 Shykeim Phillips

G
6' 2"
Junior
Jaylen Fornes

#1 Jaylen Fornes

G
6' 3"
Graduate Student
Trazarien White

#13 Trazarien White

F
6' 6"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Shykeim Phillips

#2 Shykeim Phillips

6' 2"
Junior
G
Jaylen Fornes

#1 Jaylen Fornes

6' 3"
Graduate Student
G
Trazarien White

#13 Trazarien White

6' 6"
Freshman
F