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Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Seahawks, Cougars Collide In Key Pairing

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Sit back, college basketball fans, and take your pick of the various storylines surrounding Wednesday's much-anticipated Colonial Athletic Association matchup between No. 22 Charleston and host UNCW at Trask Coliseum:
  • The Cougars put their nation-leading 15-game winning streak on the line and the Seahawks have a 13-gamer intact.
     
  • The game is a sellout – the second of the season for the Seahawks – and the 50th overall at Trask Coliseum.
  • UNCW owns a five-game winning streak over Charleston.
  • Charleston head coach Pat Kelsey has not beaten the Seahawks in three tries.
  • Junior guard Nick Farrar of UNCW played his freshman year at Charleston before transferring last summer. Seahawk assistant coach Paul Hemrick coached Cougars second-leading scorer Ryan Larson for three seasons at Wofford before Larson joined the Cougars.
  • Charleston assistant coach Thomas Carr was a member of the CAA champion UNCW staffs in 2016 and 2017.
  • UNCW swept three games from Charleston one year ago and eliminated the Cougars in the semifinals of the 2022 CAA Championship in Washington, D.C.
  • The Seahawks are undefeated in six games at Trask Coliseum this season.
Whatever your choice, the 7 p.m. matchup between two of the NCAA's hottest teams is a de facto battle for CAA supremacy early in the conference season.
 
The Cougars (16-1, 4-0) won their 15th game in a row with a 75-64 decision over defending league champion Delaware last Saturday, while the Seahawks (14-3, 4-0) held off  North Carolina A&T, 66-61, in Greensboro.
 
Charleston broke away from the pesky Blue Hens with a big second half at TD Arena. Graduate guard Dalton Bolon and sophomore forward Ben Burnham paved the way with 13 points apiece for the Cougars, who built an eight-point lead at intermission and outscored UD by 17 points at the free throw line in the televised contest.
 
UNCW, meanwhile, took care of business in its first appearance at the Corbett Sports Center as a CAA member. Senior guard Maleeck Harden-Hayes exploded for a career-high 28 points and the Seahawks held off hot-shooting Kam Woods and Aggies.
 
The Seahawks are facing a ranked team for the third time this season after dropping a 69-56 verdict to then-No. 1 North Carolina in the season opener back on Nov. 7, 2022, in Chapel Hill and an 86-50 loss at UConn on Nov. 18, 2022. UNCW stands 1-39 all-time against ranked opponents and 0-3 at Trask Coliseum vs. ranked opponents.
 
UNC was the last ranked team to appear in Wilmington. The No. 9 Tar Heels won, 78-62, on Nov. 8, 2019, before a sellout crowd at Trask.
 
Charleston is in its 10th year as a member of the CAA. The Seahawks own an 14-6 advantage over the Cougars in conference play, including four series sweeps.
 
In 32 games between the two clubs overall, the Seahawks own an 18-15 edge. UNCW has taken six of the last 10 games. Fourteen of the 33 games have been decided by five points or less.
 
In the last pairing between the two rivals on Mar. 7, 2022, UNCW's Jaylen Sims erupted for a game-high 26 points to power the No. 2 seeded Seahawks over No. 6 Charleston, 60-57,  sending the Seahawks to the finals of the 2022 CAA Men's Basketball Championship at the Entertainment & Sports Arena in Washington, D.C.
 
Following Wednesday's tilt, the Seahawks remain at home to entertain William & Mary on Saturday, Jan. 11, in a 5 p.m. start tapped for national television on the CBS Sports Network.
 
UNCW-CHARLESTON OPENING TIPS: The Seahawks are 46-13 in sellouts…Common opponents this season have included Coastal Carolina, Hampton, North Carolina and North Carolina A&T…UNCW stands 6-5 against the Cougars in January games…The Seahawks have taken all four games between the two clubs in the CAA Tournament…Wednesday's contest is the third of the season for the Seahawks against a South Carolina opponent (Allen and Coastal Carolina)…Charleston's last win at Trask Coliseum came on Dec. 29, 2018, in a 73-66 victory…Takayo Siddle is 11-5 in January games with the Seahawks.
 
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Players Mentioned

Jaylen Sims

#30 Jaylen Sims

G
6' 6"
Senior
Maleeck Harden-Hayes

#3 Maleeck Harden-Hayes

G
6' 7"
Senior
Nick Farrar

#30 Nick Farrar

G
6' 7"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Jaylen Sims

#30 Jaylen Sims

6' 6"
Senior
G
Maleeck Harden-Hayes

#3 Maleeck Harden-Hayes

6' 7"
Senior
G
Nick Farrar

#30 Nick Farrar

6' 7"
Junior
G