GREENVILLE, N.C. ? Riding the crest of a 67-60 victory for the women's team over East Carolina, UNC Wilmington and second-year skipper Benny Moss will try to make it a sweep for the Seahawks over their in-state rivals this week when UNCW and ECU tip off in men's basketball at 7 p.m. Saturday at Minges Coliseum.
UNCW, 7-4, and ECU, 4-5, meet for the only time this season when the two clubs lace it up at Williams Arena. The game will be televised locally on Time Warner Cable's Channel 19.
“This is a critical time for us,” said Moss. “We have two road games before we go home for Christmas, so we want to avoid a losing streak.”
The Seahawks suffered a 90-86 setback at Coastal Carolina in its last outing Wednesday. The Chanticleers avenged an earlier loss to UNCW by shooting 56.5 percent and getting 27 points from senior guard Everage Richardson and 24 markers from rookie Anthony Breeze.
Moss said, “We some real good things at Coastal on the offensive end, but we had too many mistakes and breakdowns on the defensive end. We have to go to ECU with the mindset of being more solid. We have to come out with an intensity level of not just playing hard, but playing smart.”
UNCW and ECU have been bitter foes for a long time, but the rivalry has quelled somewhat since the Pirates bolted the CAA for Conference USA in 2001. The Seahawks and Pirates did not play for four years until renewing the rivalry two years ago.
“It's a rivalry and they're going to be fired up just like our guys were last year,” said Moss, who piloted the Seahawks to a 59-44 victory at Trask Coliseum last December. “We know what this game means to both teams involved.”
ECU has been on a tear of late. The Pirates knocked off CAA preseason favorite George Mason, 68-65, on Dec. 2 and then shocked N.C. State, 75-69, on Dec. 8 in Greenville.
The Pirates feature a balanced attack with four players averaging seven points or better. Junior guard Sam Hinnant leads the way with 11.2 ppg, but exploded for 30 points in the stunner over the Wolfpack.
“They're an athletic group that's starting to believe in themselves. They are playing with a lot of confidence and they're going to be out to get back at us for the win last year.
“Sam Hinnant can score in bunches. He's very streaky, so we have to make him shoot contested, tough shots early in hopes that he doesn't get off to a fast start.”
The Seahawks lead the longtime series, 36-22, and have won six of the last 10 matchups. ECU thumped UNCW the last time in Greenville, however, jumping out to a 27-8 lead and rolling to an 82-69 triumph on Dec. 31, 2005.
“We played a very good defensive game last year,” Moss recalled. “We matched their energy and we played smart on the offensive end. We understood time and score and got the ball where we needed to take advantage of our strengths.”
Senior guard T.J. Carter, the CAA's third leading scorer at 16.9 ppg, is looking to become the 17th player in UNCW's 57-year hoops history to reach 1,000 points. He has netted 990 points in 99 career appearances and will join teammate Vladimir Kuljanin on the 100-game list Saturday night.
Senior forward Todd Hendley, who came off the bench to score 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting with a sprained right foot, is improving daily and is expected to play Saturday against the Pirates.
Following the test at Minges, the Seahawks return home next Saturday, Dec. 29, to entertain UNC Greensboro in a return date from last year's BracketBusters contest in Greenville. The UNCW-UNCG game will be carried on MASN in conjunction with the Seahawk TV Network.
