Men’s basketball preview: College of Charleston

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Noah Powers/The Seahawk

Shykeim Phillips during UNCW’s matchup with North Carolina on Nov. 8, 2019 at Trask Coliseum.

Erin Howard, Staff Writer

WILMINGTON — UNC Wilmington will look to sweep this season’s series against College of Charleston, following its first victory over the Cougars since 2017. The Seahawks stunned Charleston in their last meeting with a 72-70 victory fueled by a 17-point performance from freshman guard Shykeim Phillips at TD Arena.  

Entering this weekend’s matchup, UNCW looks to snap its two-game losing streak while Charleston looks to do the same for their streak of three-games. 

In the last meeting, UNCW put on a stellar defensive performance, holding CofC to 25-of-72 field goals and a dismal 6-for-33 from beyond the arc. Offensively, the Seahawks gave up just seven turnovers and had three players score in double figures. Phillips led with his 17 and was closely followed by Ty Gadsden with 16 and Jaylen Sims with 13.  

In order to secure another victory, UNCW will have to key in on the Cougars’ leading scorer Grant Riller, who scored 16 in the last meeting. 

With a balanced offensive effort and another strong performance on defense, the Seahawks could walk away with another win as they get set to play this Saturday at 7 p.m. in Trask Coliseum. This is game one of a three-game homestand to close the regular season.