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Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Seahawks Open December With Home Game

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – The UNCW men's basketball team kicks off its December slate tomorrow (Wednesday, Dec. 1, 2021) against rolling Norfolk State after navigating a roller coaster November with a 3-3 mark.
 
The Seahawks meet the Spartans, 8-1, in the first of seven games in the final month of the calendar year. UNCW outdueled NSU last season in a back-and-forth battle, topping the Spartans, 80-72, on Dec. 18, 2020, in Norfolk, Va.
 
"Norfolk State will be one of the most talented teams we've played so far and maybe the most talented all year," said UNCW Head Coach Takayo Siddle. "They're tough, physical, experienced and well coached. It will be a tough task for us."
 
UNCW is coming off a nine-day, 5,700-mile journey that took the team from Wilmington to Delaware to Montana and back. Siddle's club wound up with a 1-1 record on the trip, defeating MEAC member Delaware State and falling to Southern Miss of Conference USA, 80-66.
 
An untimely flu outbreak forced the cancellation of the Seahawks' final two games in the Zootown Classic in Missoula, Mont. UNCW was scheduled to face Southern Miss, host Montana and UC San Diego in the round-robin MTE, but competed in just one contest before the bug spread like a western wildfire.
 
The Seahawks are trying to find their shooting stroke after connecting on just 36.3 percent from the floor and 28.9 percent behind the arc in the first six outings. UNCW has averaged 66.0 points per game in the last three outings, scoring 65, 67 and 66 points against Coastal Carolina Delaware State and Southern Miss.
 
Senior guard Jaylen Sims leads the club in scoring and rebounding following a sluggish start. The Charlotte, N.C., product is collecting 11.5 points and 6.8 rebounds per outing.
 
NSU hits the floor for the third time in four days in its first visit to Trask Coliseum. Coach Robert Jones and his squad travel to Wilmington from Phoenix, Ariz., where the Spartans faced crosstown rival Hampton on Sunday and Grambling on Monday in the Boost Mobile HBCU Challenge hosted by Chris Paul at the Footprint Center in Phoenix.
 
In Monday's win over the Tigers, redshirt senior forward Kris Bankston matched his career high with 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in a 70-63 decision. A transfer from Arkansas-Little Rock, Bankston went 7-of-10 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line. The Spartans shot 52 percent in the second half and were solid at the free throw line down the stretch.
 
NSU was one of the surprises in last year's NCAA Tournament, stunning Appalachian State, 54-53, in the First Four before bowing out in a 98-58 loss to top-ranked Gonzaga. NSU closed out the 2020-21 year with a solid 17-8 record.
 
Wednesday's matchup with the Spartans in the final contest for the Seahawks before exams. The Seahawks have a 10-day break before getting back to action on Dec. 11 against Jacksonville's Dolphins at 68-year-old Swisher Gymnasium in Jacksonville. It will be the first meeting between the two teams since the 2003-04 season.
 
UNCW-NSU Net Notes
  • In last year's first visit to the Tidewater region of Virginia since 2014, the Seahawks survived a wild affair at NSU's Echols Hall. With four players in deep foul trouble, the Seahawks received yeoman efforts from several players in the eight-point triumph.
  • The Seahawks are playing the second of two Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) opponents this season after dispatching Delaware State, 67-63, on Saturday, Dec. 20, in Dover, Del.
  • The Seahawks have faced seven of the 13 schools in the MEAC and compiled a 20-21 record against the loop.
  • NSU is off to its best-ever Division I start at 8-1. The Spartans, who last started a season 8-1 during the 1995-96 campaign, are tied for the most wins in the country through Monday's games. NSU is ranked 23rd in the Division I Mid-Major Top 25 Poll by CollegeInsider.com.
  • The Seahawks rank first in the CAA in blocks (4.17) and third in steals (8.17) after six games. Junior forward Amari Kelly stands second in the circuit with 1.17 rejections per game.
  • The Seahawks have featured four different leading scorers in the first six games. Senior guard Jaylen Sims has led the team in scoring in two of the last three outings.
  • The Seahawks went 4-2 in December games last season and stand 134-146 in December since moving up to NCAA Division I in 1976-77.
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Players Mentioned

Jaylen Sims

#30 Jaylen Sims

G
6' 6"
Sophomore
Amari Kelly

#23 Amari Kelly

F
6' 9"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Jaylen Sims

#30 Jaylen Sims

6' 6"
Sophomore
G
Amari Kelly

#23 Amari Kelly

6' 9"
Junior
F