Seahawks Find Confidence in Victory over Trojans
UNCW had its best shooting performance of the season in win over Mount Olive
UNCW 85, Mount Olive 55
What a relief.
It took a few minutes to find a rhythm, but after a shaky start, the Seahawks found another gear and ran away with an easy victory for the first time all season, cruising to an 85-55 victory over the Trojans on Wednesday night at Trask Coliseum.
Trazarien White knocked down three 3-pointers en route to a career high 21 points and seven rebounds, while James Baker Jr. owned the paint with a season-high 16 points.
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The victory snapped a three-game losing streak for the Seahawks (4-5), who got minutes from all 11 available players in what was easily the best shooting night of the season.
Here are a few takeaways from what could prove to be a key get-right game as UNCW finishes off its nonconference schedule.
Flipping the Switch
Early on, it appeared the Seahawks might be in for another battle with an opponent it shouldn’t allow to hang around.
The speedy Trojans knocked down a few shots, spread the Seahawks out and grabbed six offensive rebounds in the first 10 minutes of the game, getting out to a 26-19 lead.
Whatever Coach Takayo Siddle had to say in a timeout at the 9:53 mark, well, he should keep saying it.
From there, the Seahawks took their defense up a notch, forcing seven turnovers while completely shutting out UMO on the offensive boards, using a 26-6 run to take a 45-32 lead at the half.
“Those guys are scrappy; they’re scrappy, they’re tough, they’re fearless,” Siddle said. “So, they were getting in there and getting some offensive rebounds because they’re smaller than us and maybe a little bit quicker, so they got around us. We didn’t hold our block-outs enough, we didn’t pursue the ball with enough force, so we started to clean that up; we started to keep the basketball in front of us a little bit more, and we were able to get out in transition and get some easy baskets.”
Seven different players scored for UNCW during the decisive run, but one in particular stood out…
Tra’s Day (or night)
When the Hawks are playing their game, White is going to be a part of it.
And when you say White is going to generate “garbage buckets,” it’s absolutely a compliment, because those don’t happen by accident. No, they happen because a guy with physical gifts is playing at full speed and maximum effort for every second they’re on the court.
So, it makes sense that White was responsible for eight points, two offensive rebounds and a steal over the final 9:53 of the first half.
“It started with him getting on the offensive backboard,” Siddle said. “That’s who he is; get a couple of stick-backs, a run out in transition and his three-ball — he can really shoot the basketball — but he’s a really good driver, so he doesn’t take a lot of them.”
Indeed, White knocked down two 3-pointers during the run — a bit of a revelation for a guy who generally opts to attack the rim and go to battle in the paint.
He’s knocked down a few long-range shots here and there, but moving forward, expect White to tee it up from deep more often, where he’s 6 of 21 (28.6 percent) for the season.
“I challenged him to start taking his rhythm threes because that’s going to open the driving lanes up for him,” Siddle said. “But his energy is really, really good all the time and he’s a really good scorer … he scores so well off his energy, and I love that kid.”
White is now third on the team in scoring (9.6 points), second in rebounding (5.4) and third in steals (10 total).
Stepping Up
Jamahri Harvey also knocked down a couple of threes during the big run, and quietly, the sophomore wing has emerged as a key player for the Seahawks.
Now a member of the starting lineup for the past four games, Harvey is averaging 10.5 points as a starter while hitting 10 of 23 attempts from 3-point range.
Also coming on strong lately, Jamarii Thomas has seen his minutes progress in each of the past three games, sliding up to a season-high 18 on Wednesday night.
He made the best of them, too, finishing with eight points, three rebounds and three steals.
There was one particular play that really captures where Thomas is right now:
After getting a steal and pushing it, he got a little too excited on the lob. Rather than giving up on the play, though, he snuck in for a steal and got the bucket — flashes of potential with great plays mixed in with the occasional freshman decision or mistake, but it certainly isn’t for lack of effort.
We’re seeing glimpses with his innate vision and the spin move he used to score on Wednesday night. The kid is going to be really special at UNCW, and it’s exciting to watch someone turn that potential into production.
Oglesby Out
Reporter Jake Lieberman broke the news of the departure of UNCW guard Alec Oglesby on Wednesday afternoon, with the caveat that Oglesby’s entry into the transfer portal is for “non-basketball issues.”
No word on what exactly that means, but hopefully, all is well with him and his family as he begins the search for a new program.
Oglesby, who joined the program after playing his freshman season at Cleveland State, dealt with toe injury during the preseason, then fell victim to the flu outbreak on the Montana trip and never truly found his fit in the Seahawk lineup.
He departs UNCW after appearing in six games — starting two — with a total of 22 points in 71 minutes.
Big Picture
The final score of this one wasn’t the story, as the Seahawks beat a Division II-opponent playing on the second night of a back-to-back.
You’re supposed to win games like this, and win them handily, but that wasn’t exactly a given, considering the way things have gone over the past few weeks.
Beyond the result, the Seahawks took a step on Wednesday night because they showed growth in several areas:
Consistently beating UMO down the floor offensively and defensively.
Moving — both themselves and the ball — better. Passes weren’t always there, but guys got themselves open with cuts more often.
Attacking the zone (UMO didn’t play it nearly as much as some recent opponents) rather than just settling for the first shot over it.
Creating opportunity with defense, using 13 steals to score 28 fastbreak points. Whether it was a turnover or grabbing a rebound, it felt like UNCW was making a concerted effort to push the ball harder and faster.
Making shots! That’s a pretty good thing to do, it seems.
Obviously, the 16 turnovers weren’t ideal, you’d like to generate more than nine free throw attempts and there were a few rebounds that got away.
Most importantly, though, the Seahawks had something positive happen after a few tough weeks. They saw the ball go through the basket more than it has all season, topping the 80-point mark for the first time all season. With a season-high 77 possessions, they saw what’s possible with the pace and space this system is looking to achieve.
Siddle pointed out an interesting point regarding the improved shooting:
“We’ve just got to keep on working,” he said, “and I think the one thing about it is, they need to start trusting each other more, that they’re going to make the right play and be more ready to shoot and trust the fact that their teammates are going to step up and knock baskets down. I thought we did a tremendous job with that tonight.”
And with the big working margin for the second half, everyone got an extended look and a chance to play through a mistake or two, as nine players saw 13 or more minutes.
“It was good, because certain guys aren’t playing as good as they’re capable of,” Siddle said. “So, I wanted to make sure we got them in and let them play extended minutes so they could try to get their rhythm back and start feeling good about themselves, so I thought that was good for our whole team.”
Next Up
UNCW visits High Point for a 2 p.m. tip on Saturday afternoon at the sparkling new Qubein Center.
The Panthers (5-5) are in their fourth season under Coach Tubby Smith, who somehow, isn’t a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame.
You might recognize senior forward Rob Peterson III, the son of former UNCW coach Buzz Peterson, while the Seahawks’ biggest concern will be slowing down guard John-Michael Wright, averaging 21.6 points on 42.3 percent shooting from 3-point range.