WILMINGTON, North Carolina – After Trazarien White threw down a monstrous alley-oop lob from Mike Okauru with 1:43 remaining in regulation, one thing was for certain…

Teal Nation was alive and well on Thursday night.

“It (the crowd) has been crazy, and they say it gets crazier, so I’m just ready to see how crazy it can get,” White said.

UNC Wilmington (2-2) defeated Coastal Carolina, 65-53, Thursday night inside Trask Coliseum. With an overflowing student section and season-high attendance numbers, the Seahawks certainly seemed to feed off the energy provided by the fans.

“What an unbelievable crowd that was,” UNCW Head Coach Takayo Siddle said. “I thought our crowd really helped us get over the hump … that was a total team effort. I thought everybody on our roster contributed.”

White, a freshman forward, made his first career start as a Seahawk after scoring a team-high 14 points in UNCW’s eight-point loss to Pittsburgh on Tuesday. He finished Thursday night with 10 points, four rebounds, and three steals against the Chanticleers (1-1).

“I didn’t believe it when I heard (I was starting),” White said. “He (Siddle) just told me to be the same person I was coming off the bench.”

The Texas native has provided a spark for his second-year head coach throughout the first couple of weeks in the 2021-22 season. White has showcased his high motor and fearlessness on both ends of the floor, which fits Coach Siddle’s high pace style of play perfectly.

“Trazarien (White) does so many little things for us,” Siddle said. “He’s so active. His energy is something that we needed in our starting lineup to get us off to a good start. He deserves (to start). He has been playing really well, and he’s been practicing well.”

UNCW will need to hit the hay early Thursday night. The team will catch an early flight Friday morning to travel north to take on Delaware State (3-2). Sunday’s showdown will be the first of four games for the Seahawks over the next week.

The Hawks’ next home game will be Dec. 1 against Norfolk State. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.