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Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Homestand Concludes With Speedy Panthers

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – UNCW's streaking Seahawks put the finishing touches on a three-game homestand Sunday afternoon when high octane High Point visits Trask Coliseum in the non-conference home finale for the Seahawks.
 
Coach Takayo Siddle's club, 8-3, takes the Panthers, 8-2, in a 2 p.m. tip as the non-league slate winds down for the Seahawks. UNCW has reeled off seven consecutive wins and is marching toward its Colonial Athletic Association debut in less than two weeks.
 
The UNCW-HPU clash may be heard on 95.9 FM The Breeze, with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro and color analyst Marty Feurer on the call, beginning at 1:45 p.m. Video is available on FloSports.com.
 
The Seahawks remain one of the hottest teams in the land. UNCW has not tasted defeat since a loss at No. 3 UConn on Nov. 18 in Connecticut. Since then, Siddle's club has locked up opponents with its trademark defense, limiting the last seven foes to 55.7 points per game and 37.6 percent shooting. Opposing teams have made just 24.5 percent of their three-point field goal attempts in the winning stretch (35-for-143).
 
The UNCW offense is starting to come around, too. Spurred by bouncy sophomore Trazarien White and shifty senior guard Shykeim Phillips, the Seahawks have scored 74 and 81 points in their last two contests against East Carolina and Jacksonville.
 
White anchors a balanced scoring attack with 13.0 points per game. While White's the lone player scoring in double digits, UNCW features six players collecting at least six points each contest,
 
Two newcomers are also beginning to feel more comfortable. After reaching double figures just once in the first eight games, senior guard Maleeck Harden-Hayes has scored in double digits in the last three outings: 10 at Coastal Carolina, 12 vs. East Carolina and 14 vs. Jacksonville. Junior guard Donovan Newby had a slow start behind the arc, going 3-for-18 (.167) in the first five games, but he's heating up. In the last six contests, Newby has fired in 12-for-21 (.571) from long distance.
 
Sunday's game matches up one of the nation's best offenses against one of the top defenses. HPU averages 85.4 points per game. Conversely, UNCW is allowing just 61.3 points through 11 outings.
 
In their last appearance, UNCW stepped on the gas pedal early and never let up to blitz visiting Jacksonville, 81-53, last Saturday in Wilmington. White continued his stellar play, filling up the stat sheet with 17 points, eight rebounds, five assists and three steals. Harden-Hayes added 14 points and Phillips finished with 14 for the Seahawks, who led wire-to-wire.
 
"A seven-game winning streak is great, but our guys are focused on getting better every day," said Siddle. "We're being more efficient on the offensive end. Defensively, we're taking a stand and really taking it personal. We're being more efficient, playing more team basketball and having better shot selection on the offensive end."
 
High Point and new head coach G.G. Smith make the trip down I-40 with a potent offense. Junior guard Jaden House tops three players in double figures at 21.2 ppg, followed by redshirt sophomore guards Abdoulaye Thiam (15.5 ppg) and Zack Austin (15.1 ppg).
 
The Panthers, returning to the court following an extended layoff, had a five-game winning streak snapped in their last appearance, an 87-79 loss to Queens on Dec. 9 at the Qubein Center in High Point. The Panthers inched out to a 44-38 halftime lead, but shot only 34 percent shooting in the final period. Kenny Dye of Queens erupted for 28 points to pace all scorers in the contest. Thiam led four starters in double figures for the Panthers with 16 points.
 
The Seahawks and Panthers played frequently in the 60s and 70s when Bill Brooks (UNCW) and Bob Vaughn (HPU) were developing the programs. After dropping the first three games of the series, the Seahawks registered their first decision, 78-77, on Dec. 10, 1970. HPU owns a 10-7 edge in the series overall.
 
The last pairing between the two teams was a thrilling one. Phillips pumped in 17 points, including the first eight in the extra period, and Jaylen Sims nailed the game-winner with two seconds remaining to lift UNCW to a 71-69 overtime victory exactly one year ago in High Point.
 
The CAA owns a 2-4 record against the Big South Conference following Presbyterian's 69-63 home victory over Elon's Phoenix early Thursday in Clinton, S.C.
 
Following Sunday's matinee, the Seahawks play their final non-conference game of the season on Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2022, at Campbell. The longtime rivals square off in a 2 p.m. game at John W. Pope, Jr. Convocation Center and Gilbert Craig Gore Arena in Buies Creek, N.C.
 
OPENING TIPS: Spanning over to last season, the Seahawks have won 14 of their last 15 games at Trask Coliseum…Siddle stands 19-6 at home in three seasons…Smith will be the fifth High Point head coach the Seahawks have faced…UNCW is playing the fifth of 14 home games this season…Siddle is 9-1 against non-conference foes at home since arriving in 2020-21…The Seahawks are 2-0 against the Panthers in December…Phillips is expected to make his 66th career start on Sunday…Seahawk players have scored in double figures off the bench 11 times…The Seahawks have used the same starting lineup in the last seven games…UNCW is averaging 3,776 fans, with one sellout (vs. ECU, Dec. 6. 2022) in 2022-23…The Seahawks have outrebounded their last two opponents after being outrebounded in the previous four games.
 
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Players Mentioned

Jaylen Sims

#30 Jaylen Sims

G
6' 6"
Senior
Shykeim Phillips

#2 Shykeim Phillips

G
6' 2"
Senior
Trazarien White

#13 Trazarien White

F
6' 6"
Sophomore
Maleeck Harden-Hayes

#3 Maleeck Harden-Hayes

G
6' 7"
Senior
Donovan Newby

#55 Donovan Newby

G
6' 1"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Jaylen Sims

#30 Jaylen Sims

6' 6"
Senior
G
Shykeim Phillips

#2 Shykeim Phillips

6' 2"
Senior
G
Trazarien White

#13 Trazarien White

6' 6"
Sophomore
F
Maleeck Harden-Hayes

#3 Maleeck Harden-Hayes

6' 7"
Senior
G
Donovan Newby

#55 Donovan Newby

6' 1"
Junior
G