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UNC Wilmington Athletics

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phillips_shykeim
86
Winner UNCW UNCW 9-5,3-0 CAA
78
Col. of Charleston CC 9-6,1-2 CAA
Winner
UNCW UNCW
9-5,3-0 CAA
86
Final
78
Col. of Charleston CC
9-6,1-2 CAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
UNCW UNCW 36 50 86
Col. of Charleston CC 34 44 78

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Joe Browning

Seahawks Stay Unbeaten In CAA

CHARLESTON, South Carolina – Heady guards Jaylen Sims, Shykeim Phillips and Jaylen Fornes combined for 60 points power UNCW past Charleston, 86-78, and keep the Seahawks unbeaten in Colonial Athletic Association play on Monday night at TD Arena.
 
The Seahawks reeled off their season-best sixth consecutive victory to hike their record to 9-5 overall and stay clean in the CAA through three outings. The Cougars dropped to 9-6 and 1-2.
 
It was the third straight win for the Seahawks over Charleston. CofC has not beaten UNCW since March 2, 2019.
 
Sims erupted for a season-high 24 points to top the Seahawks in the scoring column, followed by Phillips with a career-matching 20 points and Fornes with a season-high 16 as the Seahawks won for the fifth time in eight tries at TD Arena.
 
Charleston graduate forward John Meeks paced all scorers with 27 points and freshman guard Reyne Smith and graduate guard Dimitrius Underwood added 17 and 13 points for the Cougars.
 
"I'm speechless right now," second-year UNCW Head Coach Takayo Siddle shared following the game. "I'm so proud of these guys. They just keep responding to every challenge that's put in front of them. It's a new group and we're learning along the way.
 
"Our mental toughness is getting stronger right now and I like that area. We're starting to become more connected as a group. Our mental toughness is really growing and if you want to win consistently, you have to be mentally tough.
 
"It's always nice to win on the road. It's important to steal some wins on the road. The main thing right now is to get our guys back and get them some rest, both mentally and physically."
 
The Seahawks inched out to a 36-34 advantage at halftime and stuck to the game plan to close out their opening conference road tilt of the season. UNCW also improved to 3-3 in road games on the campaign.
 
The tightly-contested game remained in the balance at the eight-minute mark when Underwood made a driving layup with 7:40 left to cut UNCW's lead to 63-61.
 
The Seahawks then pieced together a 9-3 spurt to gain some separation and led by as many as nine points twice down the stretch before closing the game out.
 
Sims and Phillips were the nemeses for the Cougars in the critical stages. Sims scored nine of his points in the final five minutes and Phillips added six points as the Seahawks held off the Cougars on their home floor. UNCW got contributions up and down the lineup to kick off a four-game road trip in successful fashion.
 
The Seahawks shot 48.5 percent on the night, including 54.8 percent in the final period, and made 7-of-17 behind the arc. UNCW did not attempt a free throw in the first half, but wound up hitting 13-of-21 in the final period to secure the win.
 
The two teams traded buckets in the early going before the Cougars used a 14-3 spurt over a 4:43 stretch behind the play of Meeks to take control. Smith's triple in the left corner staked the hosts an 18-10 cushion with 12:48 left in the opening period.
 
UNCW battled back, however, as Phillips made his presence known. The Winterville, N.C., product ignited a 10-2 rally and Amari Kelly tied the score at 20-all with a second-chance bucket with 9:02 left in the half. Phillips finished with eight points and four rebounds in the first 20 minutes.
 
Sims was hot early for the Seahawks – leading the club with nine points in the first half - and canned a bucket along the right baseline with 5:14 left to give the Seahawks a 29-23 edge.
 
CofC responded with a 6-0 string to take the lead again, 30-29, but Phillips delivered a 36-34 lead at the break with a drive and jumper in the paint with four seconds left in the period.
 
The Seahawks continue their lengthy four-game road trip on Thursday, Jan. 20, with a 7 p.m. matchup with James Madison at the Atlantic Union Bank Center in Harrisonburg, Va.
 
GAME NOTES: UNCW scored a season-high 50 points in the second half...The Seahawks netted 44 points in the paint...Sims, the team's leading scorer, pocketed 15 of his 24 points in the second half…The Seahawks now hold a 16-15 advantage in the series…The Seahawks lead the series 5-3 at TD Arena…The game was only Siddle's third road conference game since taking over the Seahawk program…The Seahawks stand 6-5 in January against the Cougars…Jaylen Sims now has 46 double figure games…The game was the first for the Seahawks against Charleston's Pat Kelsey…The Seahawks are 63-47 lifetime vs. South Carolina…There were six lead changes and six ties in the matchup.



 
 
 
 
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