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Men's Basketball Joe Browning

No. 25 UConn Presents Major Challenge For Seahawks

STORRS, Connecticut – Three days removed from a difficult road matchup with Big 12 opponent Oklahoma, the UNCW men's basketball team heads to the Northeast to take on UConn late Friday in the second leg of an early-season test with high major opponents for the Seahawks.
 
UNCW battles the No. 25 Huskies at 8:30 p.m. at Harry A. Gampel Pavilion in Storrs. The matchup may be heard on 95.9 FM The Breeze with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro on the call, beginning at 8:15 p.m. The matchup is being televised on Fox Sports 2.
 
The Seahawks find themselves at 1-2 on the young season following Tuesday night's 74-53 loss to the Sooners at the Lloyd Noble Center in Norman. The Huskies of the Big East Conference are unbeaten through three games, easily defeating Stonehill, Boston and Buffalo. 
 
In Tuesday's contest, the Sooners dialed long distance, canning their first four three-point attempts and finishing with 10 triples. Oklahoma, which led wire-to-wire, wound up shooting 53 percent from the field and never allowed the Seahawks to get closer than 14 points in the second half.
 
Enter Head Coach Dan Hurley and the high-powered Huskies, who have battered their three opponents by an average of 26.7 ppg.
 
"I have a tremendous amount of respect for Coach Hurley and how hard his guys play," said third-year UNCW Head Coach Takayo Siddle. "This will be the best team that we've faced up to this point. With their talent, size and depth, it makes them one of the most complete teams in the country. For our group, we are looking to keep building our habits and taking steps forward."
 
East Carolina transfer Tristen Newton posted the 12th triple-double in school history as he led UConn to an 84-64 victory over Buffalo on Tuesday night at the XL Center in Hartford. A senior guard in his first season at UConn, Newton finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. He had 15 points and handed out seven assists in the [BJ1] first half when UConn took a commanding 44-28 lead into the break.
 
The Seahawks are familiar with Newton, who played in ECU's 88-78 overtime victory over UNCW on Dec. 7, 2020. Newton collected 10 points, three rebounds and eight assists in the thriller at Minges Coliseum. He went 3-for-8 from the field, 2-for-4 behind the arc and 2-for-2 at the free throw line.
 
High-flying sophomore guard Trazarien White is an emerging star for the Seahawks. The Texas native is the only player to reach double figures in the first three games and is the team's leading scorer (18.3 ppg) and rebounder (4.7 rpg). He has scored 19 (North Carolina), 18 (Allen) and 19 (Oklahoma) in his first three appearances of the new campaign.
 
UNCW is playing a ranked opponent for the second time in four games (lost at UNC, 69-56, on Nov. 7, 2022) and the 38th time overall. The Seahawks stand 1-36 against ranked teams through the years, facing 24 different rated teams. UNCW's lone victory against a ranked opponent came on Mar. 14, 2002, when the Seahawks stunned No. 22 Southern Cal in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Sacramento.
 
UNCW has faced only two opponents from Connecticut and their last visit to the Constitution State was not a pleasant one. On Dec. 20, 1997, the Huskies hammered the Seahawks, 93-55, at the Hartford Civic Center. UNCW stands 1-2 against Connecticut opponents, also splitting a pair of games against Fairfield in 1992 and 2001.

Following Friday's clash with the Huskies, the Seahawks return to the North Carolina coast to entertain NCAA Division II Mount Olive on Monday (Nov. 21) at Trask Coliseum. UNCW romped past another DII foe, Allen, in their home debut on Nov. 11 by a 104-55 score.

UNCW-UCONN TIP-INS: The Seahawks own a 3-7 record against Big East Conference opponents, facing seven of the league's 11 current members…UConn was ranked No. 12 when the two clubs last met on Dec. 20, 1997, at the Hartford Civic Center…UNCW is 17-49 in road games during the first month of the season through the years…Siddle owns a 17-10 record against non-conference opponents over three seasons, including 5-7 in true road games...The Seahawks are playing in Gampel Pavilion for the first time…UConn has five players averaging in double figures…The Huskies are averaging 8.7 steals and 5.7 blocks per game…UNCW is shooting 42.8 percent from the field and 26.9 percent behind the three-point arc…The Seahawks are averaging just 8.3 turnovers per game.

 
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Players Mentioned

Trazarien White

#13 Trazarien White

F
6' 6"
Sophomore

Players Mentioned

Trazarien White

#13 Trazarien White

6' 6"
Sophomore
F