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Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Seahawks, Cougars Clash In Homecoming Game

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – The UNCW men's basketball team kicks off a season-long four-game home stand on Saturday as the final three weeks of the Colonial Athletic Association's regular season wind down.
 
The Seahawks, 16-7 overall and 10-2 in the conference, are perched atop the CAA standings and entertain rival College of Charleston in the annual Homecoming game at 7 p.m. The Cougars, picked to finish seventh in the league's preseason poll, sit in sixth place with a 13-9 overall record and 5-5 CAA ledger.
 
Saturday's matchup will be carried locally on The Breeze 95.9 FM and aired on the CAA's streaming partner, FloHoops.com, with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro and color analyst Marty Feurer on the call.
 
UNCW, ranked 23rd in this week's CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 poll, rounds out the regular season home schedule with Charleston (Feb. 12), William & Mary (Feb. 14), Towson (Feb. 17) and James Madison (Feb. 19).
 
The Seahawks are looking for a bounce back following a tough loss early Monday in Hempstead, N.Y. High-octane Hofstra held off a furious comeback by Head Coach Takayo Siddle's crew in a 73-71 victory at the Mack Sports Complex. The Seahawks have won 13 out of their last 15 games and still hold a 1.5 game lead in the CAA standings over Towson (9-3).
 
Graduate guard Mike Okauru of UNCW led all players in Monday's contest with 25 points on 9-of-16 shooting. Graduate guard Jaylen Fornes chipped in 13 points, senior guard Jaylen Sims had a double-double of 12 points and 12 rebounds – the first by a Seahawk this season - and graduate guard James Baker scored all 11 of his points in the second half to give the Seahawks four in double digits for the seventh time this season.
 
Okauru and Baker became the third and fourth Seahawks to reach the 1,000-point plateau, joining Fornes and Sims. Okauru's 25 points gives the Raleigh product 1,024 points in 141 collegiate appearances ad Baker's 11 points gives the Kentucky native an even 1,000 points in 143 college games.
 
The Cougars visit Trask Coliseum well-rested after defeating Elon, 66-64, last Saturday. Sophomore forward Nick Farrar sank a contested jumper with two seconds left to lift the Cougars to the road win over Elon at the Schar Center. Farrar finished with a career-high 23 points off the bench, fueling CofC's comeback win.
 
In the last game between UNCW and CofC, Sims, Fornes and Shykeim Phillips combined for 60 points to power UNCW past Charleston, 86-78, on Jan. 17, 2022. 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 16. Sims and Phillips proved to be 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 owns a 9-1 record at Trask Coliseum this season, including seven consecutive victories against Mount Olive, Campbell, Delaware, Elon, Northeastern, Hofstra and Drexel. UNCWs lone loss in the Port City came on Dec. 1, 2021, to Norfolk State. The total represents the most home wins for the Seahawks since the 2016-17 season when Kevin Keatts' final team went 13-1 in Wilmington.
 
The Seahawks next entertain William & Mary in a rare Monday afternoon game on Feb. 14 at Trask Coliseum. The Valentine's Day matinee begins at 2 p.m.
 
UNCW-Charleston Net Notes
 
The Seahawks have registered seven double digit comebacks this season, including six in CAA action. UNCW leads the NCAA Division I ranks with seven come-from-behind victories when trailing by 10 points or more in a game.
 
In 31 games between the two clubs, the Seahawks own a slim 16-15 edge. The regional rivals met for the first time on Jan. 29, 1990, and became even bigger adversaries on Jan. 22, 2014, when the Cougars claimed a 75-70 victory in Charleston's inaugural season in the CAA.
 
The two teams have split the last 10 games. The Seahawks swept the last series with a pair of wins during the 2019-20 season. Thirteen of the 31 games in the series have been decided by five points or less.
 
The Seahawks suit up four 1,000-point scorers on Saturday. Senior guard Jaylen Sims has scored all of his points in a Seahawk uniform and plays his 100th game for UNCW.
 
UNCW and Charleston, two of the best offensive rebounding clubs in the CAA, square off. The Cougars lead the circuit with 13.9 offensive rebounds per game, followed by Towson (11.3) and UNCW (10.8).
 
Two of the top-6 scorers in CAA games will be on the floor Saturday. UNCW's Jaylen Sims ranks fourth in conference scoring at 16.3 ppg. CofC's John Meeks stands sixth at 15.7 ppg.
 
UNCW ranks third in average attendance for CAA games only at 3,643 per game. James Madison (3,904) and Charleston (3,698) rank 1-2 in the loop.

For complete coverage of UNCW Men's Basketball, follow the Seahawks on the official home of UNCW Athletics, UNCWSports.com, or through our social media channels: @UNCWmenshoops (Twitter), facebook.com/UNCWMensBasketball (Facebook), @UNCWBasketball (Instagram).
 
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Players Mentioned

Mike Okauru

#4 Mike Okauru

G
6' 4"
Graduate Student
Shykeim Phillips

#2 Shykeim Phillips

G
6' 2"
Junior
Jaylen Sims

#30 Jaylen Sims

G
6' 6"
Senior
Jaylen Fornes

#1 Jaylen Fornes

G
6' 3"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Mike Okauru

#4 Mike Okauru

6' 4"
Graduate Student
G
Shykeim Phillips

#2 Shykeim Phillips

6' 2"
Junior
G
Jaylen Sims

#30 Jaylen Sims

6' 6"
Senior
G
Jaylen Fornes

#1 Jaylen Fornes

6' 3"
Graduate Student
G