Farrar helps Seahawks win Fight in Philly
UNCW showed more maturity in dealing with adversity on Thursday
If you wrote a script to test a college basketball team’s mettle, it would look a whole lot like the one UNCW found itself trapped inside on Thursday night.
First, send them on the road to a cozy gym in Philadelphia where the opponent is unbeaten in conference play. Then, put them 15 points behind a tough, physical team that hangs its hat on defense.
Add in a little foul trouble, several self-inflicted wounds and two overtimes, and you’ve got a recipe to find out exactly what they’re made of.
While it certainly wasn’t the most aesthetically pleasing work the Seahawks have put on film this season, the 72-71 victory over Drexel was gritty and raw — a foundational team win that showed flashes of a team maturing when it counts.
Trazarien White was phenomenal, finishing with 26 points, 12 rebounds and 4 assists, while big man Nick Farrar hit 5 of 7 from beyond the arc on his way to a season-high 19 points in just 15 minutes.
With the victory, the Seahawks (21-7, 11-4) clinched a top-four finish in the CAA standings, and most importantly, the accompanying first-round bye for the tournament.
Staying in the Fight
To this point in conference games, the Seahawks had no-showed its two biggest road games, taking ugly losses at Hofstra and Charleston.
Now in the third big road game of the CAA schedule, the Seahawks found themselves unable to buy a bucket as Drexel jumped out to a 22-7 lead while UNCW went missed nine straight field goal attempts and failed to score for seven minutes.
We had seen this scenario play out twice int he past month, and both times, a tough few-minute stretch completely torpedoed the game, with minimal resistance the rest of the way.
Even the most optimistic fans found themselves pondering the “Here we go again” of it all.
This time around, though, things were different.
Rather than allowing their energy to slip because of the offensive struggles, UNCW doubled down on defense, forcing the Dragons to shoot 2 of 10 from the field over the finals seven minutes of the half.
Thanks to a late jumper from Shykeim Phillips and a ridiculous 3-point play from Trazarien White, the Seahawks cut Drexel’s advantage to 27-22 at the half.
Obviously, a lot had to go right after that for UNCW to win the game, but it wouldn’t have been possible without the Hawks staying committed to the gameplan, keeping their energy up and not allowing one rough stretch to dictate the outcome.
That’s a major area of growth.
Big Things, Little Things
UNCW coach Takayo Siddle was clearly fired up about what he got from his guys on Thursday night, as evidenced by
Back during the 13-game winning streak, the Seahawks were getting major contributions from what seemed like different guys in every game.
White was obviously fantastic, as it seems he’s fully gotten back to what he does best in bullying defenders around the basket, knocking down the open jumper and generally bringing joy to the court. It’s clear when White is into it, because he’s flexing, screaming and smiling after every play.
It’s not shocking that Farrar put up 19 points, given his immense offensive gifts. How he did it? A little surprising, as his five 3-pointers in 15 minutes nearly matched the six he’d hit all season prior. Ultimately, his quick five point run late in the second overtime played a major part in the win.
Maleeck Harden-Hayes can’t catch a break lately, watching a few easy buckets rim out on Thursday night. Still, he found a way, with a massive putback dunk early in the second half, followed by the go-ahead 3-pointer in the second overtime. It was only a six-point outing for him, but dang, did he make it count.
Then, there’s the case of Jamarii Thomas, who played just five minutes in the second half and subbed out with 9:28 remaining. Coaches had clearly decided it just wasn’t his night. After sitting all that time, then the first five-minute overtime and the first 4 minutes, 44 seconds of the second overtime, Thomas was put back into the game with UNCW clinging to a 70-69 lead.
On the ensuing possession, Thomas helped off his man in the corner and knocked the ball away from Drexel’s Yame Butler, who had gotten pretty deep below the free throw line. White grabbed the ball, got fouled and made the free throws that would provide the final margin.
Without any one of those four guys tonight, the Seahawks don’t get the win.
Building for March
That one had a little of that tournament vibe, where every screen is set with a little more umph and each possession somehow feels impossibly long, yet incredibly short.
Thankfully, the officials allowed the Hawks and Dragons to play their game, which was beating the hell out of each other for 50 minutes, which mirrors some of the disappearing whistles we’ve got in store a few weeks from now.
Last time UNCW played in this type of game was the victory over North Texas, which was a massive, confidence-building victory that remains as the best win of the Siddle era.
Drexel might not be at quite the same level as UNT, but this was a huge conference win in a place Charleston lost just a couple of weeks.
Some of the execution obviously could have been better for UNCW, but most importantly, the Hawks found out they’re good enough to go toe-to-toe with anyone in the league.
Next up
The Seahawks head over to Delaware where they’ll meet the Blue Hens at 4 p.m. on Saturday afternoon. It will be the first meeting between the teams since last March’s CAA championship game, and the only time they’ll square off in the regular season.
Despite having two of the better players in the league in Jameer Nelson Jr. and Jyare Davis, the Hens are 13-15 overall and 5-10 in league play. Still, they’ve got the dudes to cause problem for anyone in the league.