Seahawks Eye Rematch In Williamsburg

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – By any measure, last month's rock fight between longtime Colonial Athletic Association rivals UNCW and William & Mary was uncomfortable for both men's basketball teams. A total of 59 personal fouls were whistled and the game took nearly three hours to complete inside Trask Coliseum on Jan. 14.

Both teams are hoping for a cleaner contest early Saturday when the Seahawks and Tribe meet up in a rematch at Kaplan Arena. Tip is set for 2 p.m. at the 8,600-seat facility in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg.

The UNCW-W&M matchup may be heard on 95.9 FM The Breeze, with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro on the call, beginning at 1:45 p.m. Video is available on FloSports.com.

"We have to play desperate in every possession and really compete," said Siddle. "Everybody in the country plays hard, but there's only an elite group that competes.

"We've been able to have some success on the road. We don't have worry about external factors. Our guys can lock in and work on getting better. We have to go up to Williamsburg and continue to play well. We want to grow in those 40 minutes. The main thing is to keep getting better."

The Seahawks, ranked in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top-25 poll for the seventh week, carry an 18-6 overall record and 8-3 Colonial Athletic Association ledger into the matinee. Siddle's club is tied for third place in the league standings with Towson as the final month of the regular season hits. Charleston and Hofstra sit atop the heap at 9-2.

The Tribe owns a 9-15 and 4-7 record following Thursday's 62-57 loss at Hampton. W&M has dropped five of its last six outings, but stands 8-4 at Kaplan Arena on the year. The Tribe has been held under 60 points on seven occasions in 2022-23.

UNCW has taken three straight and four of its last five games since the Tribe pulled into Wilmington on Jan. 14 and stunned the Seahawks, 69-67. It was only the 14^th win in 39 appearances for W&M in the Port City.

W&M used a 6-0 mini-run at the three-mark to gain enough separation at the end of the contest. Tribe graduate guard Anders Nelson and freshman forward Charlie Williams scored 15 points apiece to pace the Tribe, which had three players disqualified and four more with four or more fouls when the final buzzer sounded. Sophomore guard Trazarien White of UNCW topped all scorers with 21 points. UNCW struggled offensively in the second half, going 7:33 without a field goal during one stretch, and shooting 21.7 percent on 5-for-23 in the final 20 minutes.

The Seahawks have led at intermission in 16-of-24 games, trailed in six contests and been tied at the break twice. W&M is the lone team to rally from a halftime deficit this season against the Seahawks.

The Seahawks and Tribe are squaring off for the 81st time. UNCW leads the all-time series by a 47-33 margin, but W&M has taken six of the last 10 meetings.

The Seahawks stand 20-18 on the Tribe's court through the years. The Seahawks snapped an eight-game losing streak in Williamsburg with last year's 92-70 victory when versatile guard Mike Okauru exploded for 30 points.

The Seahawks are 1-1 against Virginia-based opponents this season after defeating Hampton, 82-65, on New Year's Eve at Trask Coliseum and falling to the Tribe in the first meeting on Jan. 14, 2023. UNCW has won 47.6 percent of its games (193-213) vs. 18 teams from the state of Virginia through the years.

The Seahawks have seven games left in the regular season - three at home and four on the road. Following today's tilt, UNCW travels to Charleston for a Wednesday rematch with the Cougars at TD Arena. Tip is 7 p.m.

OPENING TIPS: Siddle has fashioned a 7-4 record in February, including 4-2 at home and 3-2 on the road in the final month of the regular season…The Seahawks are facing W&M's Dane Fischer for the fifth time overall and the second time in Williamsburg…The UNCW-W&M series is the second longest on record for the Seahawks behind Campbell.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#4 Mike Okauru: G; 6' 4"; Graduate Student

#13 Trazarien White: F; 6' 6"; Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#4 Mike Okauru
: 6' 4"; Graduate Student
: G

#13 Trazarien White
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: F

UNC Wilmington Athletics

Scoreboard

Events/Results

Seahawks Eye Rematch In Williamsburg

Players Mentioned

#4 Mike Okauru

#13 Trazarien White

Players Mentioned

#4 Mike Okauru

#13 Trazarien White