WILMINGTON, North Carolina - The UNCW women's basketball team opens the home portion of its 2012-13 schedule Wednesday as it entertains North Carolina Central in a 7 p.m. contest at Trask Coliseum.

Special Promotions
Wednesday's matchup will serve as a "Fans with Cans" contest. Fans who donate three cans of food to the Wilmington Branch of the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina at the gate will be able to purchase a ticket for just $3. Any 365 Everyday Value brand from Whole Foods Market item that is donated will be matched by the store.

Seahawk Storylines

• Wednesday's contest marks the ninth meeting between UNCW and North Carolina Central, but just the first since the 1984-85 season. The two teams have split their previous eight meetings, with both programs holding a 3-1 edge on their home floor.
• UNCW holds an all-time record of 31-8 in home openers and has won their first regular-season game in Trask Coliseum in each of the last eight seasons. The Seahawks last loss in a home opener came in a 77-56 setback to visiting Loyola Marymount on Nov. 23, 2003. UNCW posted a 64-53 victory over East Carolina in its 2011-12 home debut last November.
• UNCW squares off against an in-state opponent for the third straight contest with its matchup against North Carolina Central on Wednesday. The Seahawks have enjoyed moderate success against competition from the Tar Heel State in recent years, compiling a 15-11 mark against in-state foes since the start of the 2007-08 season. UNCW is 0-2 against in-state competition this season, suffering a 60-59 defeat at Wake Forest on Nov. 14 and a 67-61 setback at Elon on Nov. 18.
• Senior Karneshia Garrett will look to continue her solid play in the early part of the season as she enters Wednesday's contest with team highs of 11.7 points and 12.0 rebounds. Garrett, who has averaged 13.5 points and 15.0 rebounds in the past two contests, is coming off an 18-point, 12-rebound effort in the Seahawks last outing at Elon on Nov. 18. She currently ranks 12th in the NCAA in rebounds per game.
• The Seahawks will face a challenging non-conference slate in 2012-13 as seven of their 11 non-league opponents qualified for postseason competition last season, including NCAA Tournament participants Liberty, Northern Kentucky and West Virginia. In addition, nine of those teams won 15 or more contests, with six of those teams - Liberty, Northern Kentucky, Richmond, Tulane, Wake Forest and West Virginia - all reaching the 20-win milestone.

Elon Recap
UNCW wrapped up its season-opening road trip with a 67-61 loss at Elon on Nov. 18.

• Trailing 59-53 with five minutes remaining, Elon closed the game on a 14-2 run to record the six-point victory.
• The game marked just the sixth meeting between the two state foes. Elon's victory tied the all-time series at 3-all as the Phoenix snapped a three-game losing streak to UNCW.
• Each of the last three meetings between UNCW and Elon been decided by six points or less.
• Both teams shot below 40 percent from the floor for the contest. UNCW was 21-of-56 (.375) from the field while Elon was 26-of-68 (.382).
• Both teams connected on less than 27 percent of its three-point attempts. The Seahawks were 5-of-21 (.238) from three-point range while the Phoenix were 5-of-19 (.263).
• The two teams combined for 38 turnovers (UNCW 20, Elon 18).
• The Seahawks recorded double figure steals for the first time this season as it finished with 12 thefts. Senior Tawanna Lee and junior Jessica Freeman paced the team with four steals apiece.
• UNCW was out-rebounded for the second time this season as Elon held a commanding 49-36 edge on the glass. The Seahawks have been out-rebounded by double figures in both contests it has finished with a negative rebounding margin this season.
• Elon posted a 17-9 edge in second-chance points as it finished with 19 offensive rebounds.
• UNCW shot above 70 percent from the free-throw line for the first time this season as it was 14-for-19 (.737) from the charity stripe. The Seahawks were a combined 26-of-39 (.667) from the line in the first two games of the season.
• Senior Karneshia Garrett posted her first double-double of the season and the seventh of her career as she finished with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
• Senior Chelsea McGowen joined Garrett in double figures as she chipped in 10 points and added nine rebounds to finish just shy of her second straight double-double.
• Freshman Dana Brown reached double figures for the first time in her career as she tallied 10 points against the Phoenix, all of which came in the second half.
• Junior Jessica Freeman dished out a team-high five assists and added eight points, four steals and three rebounds.

Scouting North Carolina Central

• A member of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, North Carolina Central brings a 0-6 mark into Wednesday's contest following a 50-39 setback at home to Wofford on Monday.
• Freshman Tisha Dixon tallied 11 points against the Terriers to pace an Eagles attack that shot just 28.1 percent from the floor for the contest. Dixon currently ranks second on the team in scoring (8.2) and leads the team in rebounding (6.7).
• Redshirt senior Chasidy Williams paces the team in scoring, averaging 9.8 points per game. Williams also leads the team in steals, averaging 2.8 thefts per contest to account for nearly 40 percent of the team's 42 steals this season.
• Freshman Amber Neely was named MEAC Rookie-of-the-Week on Monday. Neely averaged 10.0 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.5 steals in contests against Western Carolina and Presbyterian last week.
• Vanessa Taylor is in her first season as head coach of the Eagles program. Taylor took over the NCCU program last May after 11 seasons at Johnson C. Smith, guiding the Division II school to a 215-112 record and five NCAA Tournament appearances in that span.

Series Notes Versus North Carolina Central
Wednesday's contest marks the ninth meeting between UNCW and North Carolina Central, but just the first since the 1984-85 season.

• The two teams have split their previous eight meetings, with both programs holding a 3-1 edge on their home floor.

UNCW Against The Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference

UNCW holds a combined 33-17 mark against members of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

• UNCW holds winning records against seven of the 13 members in the conference, while it has losing records to just two league schools (Morgan State and Maryland-Eastern Shore) by identical 0-1 margins.
• The Seahawks last lost against a MEAC institution came in a 66-52 loss at Hampton on Nov. 22, 2009.

Youth Movement
According to research conducted by the athletic communications department at St. John's University, UNCW Head Coach Adell Harris is one of the youngest Division I head coaches in the country.

• Harris is the 10th youngest coach in the nation based on birthdate, having celebrated her 32nd birthday on May 1, just two days before accepting the head coaching position at UNCW.
• Harris is the youngest coach in the CAA, but not the youngest in the state of North Carolina. That honor goes to High Point Head Coach DeUnna Hendrix. The 28-year-old is in her first season as head coach of the Panthers.
• Harris will face a fellow coaching youngster when the Seahawks square off against Xavier in December as Musketeers' Head Coach Amy Waugh is the fifth-youngest head coach on the list at just 31 years old.

Half-Dollar Defense

The Seahawks are 52-0 since the start of the 2002-03 campaign when limiting the opposition to 50 points or less.

• UNCW held nine opponents to 50 points or less in 2010-11 and was a perfect 9-0 in those contests. The Seahawks did not hold an opponent to 50 points or less during the 2011-12 season.
• The last time the Seahawks lost a game in which they held their opponent to less than 50 points was a 49-44 setback at rival Campbell on Nov. 17, 2001.

Interstate 70
UNCW is 69-8 since the start of the 2000-01 campaign when it scores 70 or more points in a contest.

• The Seahawks were 10-1 in 2011-12 and are 23-2 over the past two seasons when reaching the 70-point plateau.

The 20-20 Club
For second straight season and just the fourth time in program history, the UNCW women's basketball team reached the 20-win plateau in a single season in 2011-12.

• The Seahawks finished the campaign with a 20-13 overall mark as they earned their 20th win of the 2011-12 campaign with an 94-87 victory over Hofstra in the quarterfinals of the 2012 CAA Women's Basketball Championship.
• The team's 20 wins in 201-12 marked the first time in school history that the program has enjoyed back-to-back 20 win seasons as the 2010-11 squad established a school record with 24 victories.

Freeman, Lee Making Their Way Up School's Three-Point Chart
Senior Tawanna Lee and redshirt junior Jessica Freeman are both making their way up the school's career three-point field goals made chart.

• Freeman currently sits in 13th place on the all-time list with 68 three-pointers made while Lee is 17th with 55 triples converted in her career.
• The duo are just 11 and 24 three-pointers away from matching Katy Walters for 10th place on the school's career three-point field goals made list (79).
• Both players have been consistent from beyond the arc during their careers, with Lee 6th (.348) and Freeman 8th (.338) on the squad's chart for career three-point field goal percentage. Freeman led the league in three-point field goal percentage last season (.414), while Lee was second on the squad (.336) in that category.

Harris, McGowen Reunited
When UNCW Head Coach Adell Harris took over the Seahawks program last May, she was already familiar with one player on her new roster from her time at Tusculum College.

• Harris coached current UNCW senior Chelsea McGowen at Tusculum during the 2009-10 season.
• Together the duo combined to lead the Pioneers to a 23-10 overall record, the South Atlantic Conference Tournament championship and an appearance in the NCAA Elite Eight.
• McGowen averaged 2.1 points and 1.7 rebounds during her freshman season before transfering to Brunswick Community College for the 2011-12 campaign.

The Jolly Coaching Tree
UNCW Assistant Coach Ross Jolly comes from an impressive family of coaches.

• His sister, Kelly Harper, is in her fourth season as head coach at NC State. Harper, who won three national championships as a player at Tennessee, spent five seasons as head coach at Western Carolina prior to taking over the Wolfpack program in 2009-10.
• His brother, Brent, is in his 10th season on the staff of the men's program at Chattanooga. Brent began as a graduate assistant and director of operations before being promoted to assistant coach in 2005. He played college basketball at Tennessee Tech.
• His father, Kenneth was a legendary high school coach in Ross' hometown of Sparta, Tenn. Kenneth Jolly also played collegiately, starring at Tennessee Tech during the 1950's.

Seahawks Tabbed Seventh, Garrett Preseason Honorable Mention
UNCW was picked to finish seventh overall during the upcoming 2012-13 season and senior forward Karneshia Garrett was a Honorable Mention Preseason All-CAA selection.

• The Seahawks and George Mason were selected to finish seventh in a vote of the league's 11 head coaches, ahead of Towson, William & Mary and Georgia State.
• Delaware was picked to repeat as regular-season champion while James Madison was tabbed to finish second. Hofstra was picked third, followed by Drexel, Old Dominion, Northeastern, UNCW and George Mason (tie), Towson and William & Mary (tie) and Georgia State.
• Garrett earned Honorable Mention Preseason All-CAA accolades after appearing in 32 games and making 21 starts during her first season with the program in 2011-12. She averaged 9.8 points and 7.5 rebounds while pacing the team with six double-doubles.