UNCW Toughs-Out Win to End Challenging Week
Mike Okauru comes up big to help Hawks hold off Delaware State
UNCW 67, Delaware State 63
It wasn’t easy and it certainly wasn’t pretty, but more importantly, it was a win.
Indeed, it was a struggle from the start for the Seahawks, who overcame defensive lapses and cold shooting to rally for a 67-63 victory over the Hornets in Dover, Del. on Saturday afternoon.
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The victory marked UNCW’s first road victory of the season, and in all, second in fewer than 48 hours after topping Coastal Carolina on Thursday night in Wilmington.
Mike Okauru had a complete performance, finishing with 22 points, five rebounds, five assists and two steals to lead the Seahawks (2-2), while Jaylen Sims scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half.
A few takeaways from the victory and UNCW’s encouraging week:
Finding a Way
With DSU jumping ahead 6-0 and leading by as many as 12 points in the first half, UNCW looked like a team playing its third game in five days, while spending the rest of the time in airports and on planes and busses.
There might have been some time to be college students in there, too.
Combine all of that with the fact that the Hornets made a concerted effort to muck up the game by playing zone, and all of a sudden, the Seahawks didn’t quite have the same energy they’d use to cause defensive havoc vs. Pitt and Coastal.
With the Hornets content to pack inside the arc, UNCW had plenty of good looks in the first half, but only Okauru was able to convert, hitting 3 of 5 attempts from 3-point range.
Meanwhile, the rest of the Seahawks made just 1 of 14 3-point attempts on shots that Coach Takayo Siddle had no problem with his team putting up.
But instead of simply chalking it up to bad luck and missed opportunities, the Seahawks went all-in on hitting the offensive glass, and in turn, ended up with 20 offensive rebounds — half of their 40 missed shots — that helped create 14 second-chance points.
“We’ve been traveling like crazy, playing every other day,” Siddle said. “These guys are tired … that’s probably what it was.
“Our best shooters were getting clean looks; they weren’t dropping, but we got offensive rebound, we stayed the course, we figured out a way to win the game.”
The Coastal win was fun because UNCW played its game, pushed the tempo and won with the kind of exciting basketball that gets Trask Coliseum rolling.
This victory is one that’s a little more fun to look back at for the growth and lessons
“Just battling through adversity — think about how much we’ve been against,” Siddle said. “The game wasn’t going our way, some calls weren’t going your way, we weren’t making the shots we’re accustomed to. Didn’t necessarily play well, but these guys are battling through adversity and just figuring out a way.”
Man’s Game
With the Hawks in danger on the road, Siddle leaned on the guys who’ve been around this program the longest.
Okauru, Sims and Jaylen Fornes combined for 50 of UNCW’s 67 points, while adding 17 of the 39 rebounds and 12 of 16 assists.
“That’s what I expect,” Siddle said. “When you go on the road, your older guys have to play well to win the game and they delivered when it was their time to deliver.”
It’s certainly what you’d hope for out of your seniors, but it hasn’t been a given this season as Siddle still tries to find the right lineup combinations and adjusts his starters.
Starters for the first three games, Fornes and Sims moved to the bench for the Coastal game, and both have responded, with Fornes delivering 14 points and 11 rebounds in the two games and Sims going for 30 points and 14 rebounds as a substitute.
Okauru, meanwhile, has rebounded from a tough start to not only find his offensive rhythm, but set the tone with his defensive instincts and physicality.
UNCW obviously brought in all sorts of dynamic, young talent, but when it comes to winning away from home, it’ll always fall on the battle-hardened veterans like Fornes.
Going Deep
If you can confidently put 10 different players on the floor, chances are, at least a couple of them will play pretty well — it’s science or something.
On a serious note, the “starter” designation doesn’t hold a whole lot of meaning for this team right now, as it’s clear that whoever’s playing well will end up playing.
The Seahawks got 32 points from its bench on Saturday, while Sims (34 minutes) and Fornes (28) ended up with more playing time than three starters.
UNCW has gotten at least points from the bench in every game, with an average of 23.4.
“That’s the beauty of this team,” Siddle said. “When guys don’t have good nights, I know I have some guys on the bench that can come in and there won’t be any drop off. It’s next man up when a guy’s not playing well; just be ready when your number is called.”
The value of developing that depth was apparent with this week’s schedule, and it’ll be even more important next week in Montana.
“On this stretch we have, and we talked about it, being gone for nine days, we’re going to need everybody,” Siddle said. “Everybody on our roster is going to have to be ready to play and step up at some point, which his why I’m happy; I think the best thing about his group is our depth.”
Next Up
The Seahawks won’t be coming home, but they will get three full days of rest before tipping off the Zootown Classic vs. Southern Miss (1-2; Kenpom No. 237) on Wednesday night in Missoula, Mont.
UNCW gets three games in three nights at Dahlberg Arena, continuing with host Montana (2-2; No. 167) on Thursday and UC San Diego (4-0, No. 226) on Friday.
In all, the Seahawks will have spent nine days on the road before returning to Wilmington on Saturday.
Tip-Ins
Okauru is the fourth different player to lead UNCW in scoring over this season’s five games. Phillips led twice, followed by Trazarien White and Sims.
UNCW ranks 40th nationally in turnover rate, giving the ball up on just 15.1 percent of possessions. The Hawks committed 12 on Saturday.
The Seahawks had assists on 16 of 26 made field goals on Saturday and have a total of 60 assists vs. 49 turnovers.
After allowing opponents to shoot 16 of 41 (39%) from 3-point range over the first two games, the Hawks held Pitt, Coastal and DSU to 7 of 33 (21.2%) from beyond the arc.
UNCW has nine steals in four straight games and ranks 42nd nationally in steal rate at 12.8%.
The Hawks’ four made free throws were their fewest since going 0 for 2 at the line on Dec. 1, 2019 at Stanford.