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UNC Wilmington Athletics

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Events/Results

MBBVsElon
Joe Browning/UNCWsports.com
66
Elon Elon 4-12,1-2 CAA
73
Winner UNCW UNCW 8-5,2-0 CAA
Elon Elon
4-12,1-2 CAA
66
Final
73
UNCW UNCW
8-5,2-0 CAA
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Elon Elon 35 31 66
UNCW UNCW 29 44 73

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Joe Browning

Seahawks Rally Late To Win Fifth Straight

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW wiped out a 10-point deficit with a smothering 19-2 run late in the second half to rally past stunned Elon, 73-66, in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball on Wednesday night at Trask Coliseum.
 
The Seahawks won their fifth in a row to increase their record to 8-5 overall and remained unbeaten in the CAA with a 2-0 mark. The Phoenix dropped their second straight and fell to 4-12 and 1-2.
 
Senior guard Jaylen Sims scored 10 points in each period for his team-high 20 points as four of UNCW's five starters reached double digits. Graduate guard Mike Okauru added 13 points, junior guard Shykeim Phillips collected 11 markers and graduate guard James Baker, Jr., had 10 and eight rebounds.
 
Sophomore guard Darius Burford of Elon led all scorers with 23 points on 10-of-13 shooting. Junior guard Hunter Woods chipped in 14 and sophomore forward Michael Graham added 12 for the Phoenix, which led for 31:48 of the contest.
 
"Our guys dug deep and turned it on in the last nine minutes to finish the game off like champions," said Takayo Siddle, UNCW's second-year head coach. "Elon came out with great energy like they always do. They were driving us and getting to the paint and free throw line. Up until the nine-minute mark in the second half, we played like we had been on pause and had some rust on us. We stayed just close enough."
 
Elon, playing its seventh road game of the season, survived a few rallies by the Seahawks to remain in control most of the game before UNCW stormed back in the last 10 minutes to snap a three-game skid against their state rivals. UNCW had not beaten Elon since a 93-86 victory on Mar. 9, 2019, in the first round of the CAA Tournament in Charleston.
 
After Woods drained his fourth three-pointer of the game to give the Phoenix a 55-45 cushion at the 10:31 mark, UNCW freshman guard Trazerian White started a 12-0 spurt with a bucket on the left side and the rally turned into the decisive 19-2 run.
 
While Sims kept the Seahawks close in the early stages, Okauru delivered big buckets late for the Seahawks. The Raleigh product exploded for eight points over a 65-second stretch and his conventional three-point play with 6:31 on the clock gave the Seahawks their first lead of the game, 57-55.
 
Elon's Torrance Watson responded with basket in the paint to tie the score at 57-all, but the Seahawks strung together seven more points and to extend the margin back to 64-57 and finish off the 19-2 rally.
 
The Phoenix refused to go away, however, and the slippery Burford put the Phoenix on his shoulders, sinking a wild three-pointer with 40 seconds left to close the gap to 69-66. Phillips then delivered one of the biggest buckets of the game with 12 seconds remaining when the quick guard snuck inside and connected with a clutch jumper to nail down the conference win.
 
The Seahawks begin a three-game road trip on Monday, Jan. 17, 2022, with a 7 p.m. tip-off at Charleston. UNCW then visits James Madison (Jan. 20) and Towson (Jan. 22) to close out a challenging stretch away from Trask Coliseum.
 
GAME NOTES: UNCW outrebounded their opponent for the fifth straight game by winning the battle of the boards against Elon, 34-30…The Seahawks are 8-3 vs. the Phoenix at Trask Coliseum…UNCW is 6-1 at home this season…The series is knotted at 13-all…UNCW has not lost to a North Carolina opponent (5-0) in 2021-22…Graduate guard Jaylen Fornes scored three points with a trifecta at the 1:13 mark to hike his career total to 957 points in 104 games…UNCW outscored Elon, 44-31, in the second half…A total of 39 fouls were called in the contest…Attendance was 2,595.



 
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