After the ECU game, it was time to head due south to the
University of North Carolina – Wilmington (UNCW) to finish the 2 Division 1
schools on the eastern side of the state.
The UNCW Seahawks were hosting the Delaware Blue Hens in a Colonial
Athletic Conference (CAA) game at Trask Coliseum on this evening, which was
Arena #167 on Mission 351. Trask
Coliseum was exactly the type of venue I would expect in the CAA, set up to
hold maybe 5,000-6,000 people. On this
evening, the building was maybe 70% full, but I was impressed by the student turnout
for the game, especially coming from ECU earlier in the day where there were
maybe 50 students in a “student section.”
UNCW dedicates the entire lower sideline section behind the team benches
to student seating and, on this night, the section was probably 75-80% full and
the biggest supporters were loud and boisterous.
The Seahawks came into this game with a 10-20 record while Delaware
brought a 20-10 record to the contest so I wasn’t expecting much of a game. UNCW came out to prove me wrong, however, as
they led the Blue Hens throughout most of the first half before Delaware took a
1-point lead into the break with a late run.
Sadly, that competitiveness quickly went away in the second half as
Delaware showed why they were 10 games over .500 and UNCW showed why they were
10 games under .500. Far too many Seahawk
turnovers, coupled with solid and consistent Blue Hen offense after the break
led to a final margin in the game of 82-65, which wasn’t reflective of how competitive
the game was for the first 25 minutes or so.
This stop at UNCW was my ninth different venue in the state of North
Carolina, putting me at the halfway point to completing the state on my Mission
351 journey.
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| Front entrance to Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, NC |
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| Inside the seating area of Trask Coliseum pregame |
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| Opening tip between the Seahawks and Blue Hens |
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| UNCW attacking the basket in the second half |
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