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Men's Basketball Joe Browning

Key CAA Matchup Set For TD Arena

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – It may not have the allure the high-profile matchup had one month ago, but Wednesday's rematch pitting visiting UNCW and Charleston at TD Arena still has significant implications as the Colonial Athletic Association regular season race heads toward a photo finish in Washington.
 
UNCW (19-6, 9-3) takes on Charleston (22-3, 10-2) in a 7 p.m. tip-off in the 5,100-seat arena on Meeting Street. The Cougars rallied past the Seahawks, 71-69, in the first matchup on Jan. 11 at sold out Trask Coliseum in one of the league's wildest atmospheres in recent years.
 
The UNCW-CofC matchup may be heard on 95.9 FM The Breeze, with play-by-play voice Mike Vaccaro on the call, beginning at 6:45 p.m. Video is available on FloSports.com.
 
The CAA race has turned into a tight one. Charleston and Hofstra sit atop the standings with identical 10-2 records. UNCW is just one game back at 9-3 and Towson holds down fourth place at 8-3.
 
UNCW, winners of five of its last six contests, looks to avenge the loss to Charleston. The Seahawks, who set a school record with 13 consecutive victories earlier in the season, carry a four-game winning streak into TD Arena.
 
UNCW continued to heat up last Saturday, leading wire-to-wire to knock off host William & Mary, 70-63, in a CAA rematch at Kaplan Arena. The Tribe upset the Seahawks, 69-67, back on Jan. 14 at Trask Coliseum. Sophomore guard Trazarien White of UNCW matched the 21 points he scored against the Tribe at Trask with another 21 points on Saturday, going 8-for-12 from the floor and 3-for-4 at the free throw line.
 
When White and Donovan Newby (20 points) both reached the 20-point mark in Saturday's game at W&M, it marked the first time the feat has occurred since the championship game of last year's CBI Invitational when Jaylen Sims and Mike Okauru turned the trick.
 
The Seahawks are among the CAA's best road teams, hiking their record to 7-4 in true road games this season. UNCW has taken two straight away from home since a loss at Hofstra on Jan. 19 in Hempstead, N.Y.
 
Charleston bounced back from a Thursday night upset at Drexel with a convincing 84-67 verdict at Delaware last Saturday. The Cougars drained 13 trifectas to snap a two-game skid. Dalton Bolon scored a game-high 18 points, followed by Pat Robinson III and Ben Burnham with 15 apiece.
 
The Cougars improved to 9-1 away from home with the 17-point win in Newark. CofC is 13-1 at home overall and 4-1 in conference home games. The Cougars have averaged 80.3 ppg over their last four contests.
 
In the last matchup between UNCW and CofC, graduate guard Jaylon Scott swatted away a game-winning attempt by UNCW senior guard Shykeim Phillips with less than a second remaining to give the then-No. 22 Cougars a 71-69 verdict before a sellout crowd at Trask Coliseum. Graduate guard Dalton Bolon paced four Cougars in double figures with 16 points,  Sophomore guards Trazarien White and Jamarii Thomas led the Seahawks with 16 points each. Charleston raced out to a 42-31 lead at intermission and overcame 23.3 percent shooting in the second half to snap a five-game tailspin to the Seahawks.
 
In 34 games between the two clubs all-time, the Seahawks hold a slim 18-16 edge. The teams have split the last 10 meetings. Fifteen of the 34 games have been decided by five points or less.
 
CofC is in its 10th year as a member of the CAA. The Seahawks have a 14-7 advantage over the Cougars in conference play, including four series sweeps.
 
In last year's installment at TD Arena, UNCW's guard triumvirate of Jaylen Sims, Shykeim Phillips and Jaylen Fornes combined for 60 points to power UNCW past Charleston, 86-78, on Jan. 17, 2022. Sims pumped in a season-high 24 points to top the Seahawks in the scoring column, followed by Phillips with 20 and Fornes with 16.
 
Wednesday's clash features the CAA's best offense (Charleston-79.80 ppg) against the league's top defense (UNCW-62.36 ppg). The Seahawks have limited opponents to a league-best 42.1 percent shooting this season and just 29.5 percent from long distance.
 
The Seahawks have six games left in the regular season - three at home (Northeastern, Stony Brook, Towson) and three on the road (Charleston, Drexel, Delaware).
 
Following Wednesday's tilt, UNCW returns home to entertain Northeastern this Saturday, Feb. 11, in the annual Homecoming game at Trask Coliseum. Tickets are still available by visiting UNCWsports.com/BuyTickets.
 
OPENING TIPS: The Seahawks rank 25th among the nation's 352 Division I teams in bench contributions with 27.12 ppg…UNCW had 25 bench points in last Saturday's victory in Williamsburg…The Seahawks and Cougars stand 1-2 in the CAA in free throws attempted…UNCW's last four opponents (Stony Brook, Monmouth, NC A&T and William & Mary) have averaged just 56.5 ppg…Charleston scored more than 80 points for the 12th time with last Saturday's 84-67 decision in Newark…UNCW tops the CAA in turnover margin at +2.04…The Cougars and Seahawks have combined for a 19-5 record in CAA play with no players in the loop's top-10 in scoring or rebounding…Senior guard Maleeck Harden-Hayes has made 38 of his last 39 free throws…The Seahawks have shot 78.8 percent at the free throw line over the last three games (41-for-52)…The Seahawks are playing at 7 p.m. for the 10th time this season.
 
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Players Mentioned

Mike Okauru

#4 Mike Okauru

G
6' 4"
Graduate Student
Jaylen Sims

#30 Jaylen Sims

G
6' 6"
Senior
Jaylen Fornes

#1 Jaylen Fornes

G
6' 3"
Graduate Student
Shykeim Phillips

#2 Shykeim Phillips

G
6' 2"
Senior
Jamarii Thomas

#0 Jamarii Thomas

G
6' 0"
Sophomore
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

Mike Okauru

#4 Mike Okauru

6' 4"
Graduate Student
G
Jaylen Sims

#30 Jaylen Sims

6' 6"
Senior
G
Jaylen Fornes

#1 Jaylen Fornes

6' 3"
Graduate Student
G
Shykeim Phillips

#2 Shykeim Phillips

6' 2"
Senior
G
Jamarii Thomas

#0 Jamarii Thomas

6' 0"
Sophomore
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