Seahawks Visit New Jersey For CAA Opener

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – With the presents unwrapped and visits with family members complete, the UNCW men's basketball team treks up to the New Jersey shore on Wednesday (Dec. 28) for its Colonial Athletic Association opener against league newcomer Monmouth.

The Seahawks, 10-3, take on the Hawks, 1-12, in a 5 p.m. matchup at the OceanFirst Bank Center in West Long Branch. Monmouth opens its first season in the CAA against last year's regular season co-champions.

The game may be heard on 95.9 FM The Breeze with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro on the call, beginning at 4:45 p.m. ET. Video of the contest can be found on CBS Sports Network.

The Seahawks have won nine consecutive games for the second straight season and visit New Jersey after sweeping through the non-conference schedule with a 10-3 mark.

"We were challenged early in the non-conference schedule," said third-year UNCW head coach Takayo Siddle. "Our guys learned lessons throughout the non-conference schedule and stuck together. As a result, we were able to be very successful."

Monmouth Head Coach King Rice is no stranger to North Carolinians. The 12^th-year skipper of the Hawks played point guard for Dean Smith's UNC teams from 1987-91 and was a member of the school's 1991 Final Four club.

Wednesday marks only the second meeting between the Seahawks and Hawks and the first in 39 years. UNCW edged MU, 46-41, on Dec. 3, 1983, in the consolation game of the Fayetteville Classic in Fayetteville, N.C.

"We have to raise our level and the attention to detail has to be there for the entire game," Siddle said of the CAA lid-lifter. "I have a lot of respect for King Rice and the program he's built. We're just going to take every conference game one game at a time. That's what we were able to do last year and will continue to do that.

"Our preparation will be the same for the conference schedule. Everything we do to get the guys ready on both ends of the floor will be the same. We're just going to continue to be us. We have to make sure that UNCW is the best version of UNCW. If we can do that, we'll be successful in conference play."

UNCW begin its 39th season of CAA action. The Seahawks have won or shared eight regular season championships and captured six tournament crowns - tied with Old Dominion for the most in league history. The Seahawks stand 361-327 (.525) in CAA games all-time.

In their last appearance, UNCW trimmed longtime rival Campbell, 74-66, in the 108th meeting between the two schools on Dec. 21 at Gore Arena. The outcome hung in the balance when the Seahawks, behind senior guard Maleeck Harden-Hayes, reeled off 10 unanswered points in a 1:44 stretch late in the contest to break away from the stubborn Camels.

Harden-Hayes was named CAA Player of the Week early Monday after leading all scorers in the Campbell matchup with a career high 22 points on 8-for-9 from the floor and 2-for-2 at the free throw line. After reaching double figures just once in the first eight games, the Moorhead, Minn., product has reached double digits in the last five outings.

Monmouth brings a 1-12 record into Wednesday's contest and has dropped four in row. The Hawks last played on Thursday, Dec. 22, falling at home to Yale, 76-44. Junior forward Myles Foster of Monmouth collected his eighth double-figure game of the season with 17 points on 7-for-10 from the floor. Monmouth's lone win of the season was a 76-69 verdict at Manhattan on Dec. 4.

The Hawks, who are looking for their first home win in five tries, were held under 50 points for the second straight game and the third time this season. Overall, MU has scored less than 60 points on six occasions this year.

The Seahawks, 2-3 in true road games this season, are playing the sixth of 14 roadies. UNCW has won two straight true road contests.

After averaging 67.5 ppg over the first nine games of the campaign, the Seahawks have collected 78.5 ppg over the last four outings in wins vs. East Carolina (74), Jacksonville (81), High Point (85) and Campbell (74).

UNCW-MU TIP-INS: Following the conference opener vs. Monmouth, UNCW returns to North Carolina to entertain Hampton in a New Year's Eve tip at Trask Coliseum…UNCW has had nine different starting times in 13 games this season…The Seahawks are playing in New Jersey for the first time…Monmouth has made six postseason appearances, including NCAA berths in 1996, 2001, 2004 and 2006)…The Hawks beat fellow CAA newcomer Hampton in the opening round of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, 71-49, before falling to Villanova…Monmouth received votes in the AP Top-25 poll in 2015-16.

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Players Mentioned

#3 Maleeck Harden-Hayes: G; 6' 7"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#3 Maleeck Harden-Hayes
: 6' 7"; Senior
: G

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Seahawks Visit New Jersey For CAA Opener

Players Mentioned

#3 Maleeck Harden-Hayes

Players Mentioned

#3 Maleeck Harden-Hayes