Arena #167: Trask Coliseum - North Carolina-Wilmington vs. Delaware

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.

Front entrance to Trask Coliseum in Wilmington, NC

Inside the seating area of Trask Coliseum pregame

Opening tip between the Seahawks and Blue Hens

UNCW attacking the basket in the second half

Arena #155: Daskalakis Athletic Center - Drexel vs. Delaware

While my trip to Philly for Arena #154 was an aggressive 8-hour drive from Greensboro, my trip to Arena #155 was one of my shortest as I remained in Philly for a visit to the Daskalakis Athletic Center on the campus of Drexel University for a Colonial Athletic showdown between the host Dragons and the visiting Delaware Blue Hens.  While this was my first time inside the Daskalakis Athletic Center, it wasn’t the first time I’d seen it from the outside having walked past it during my visit to the Palestra just 13 months prior.  This was a much more normally set up and designed arena, especially at the mid-major level, compared to yesterday’s stop at La Salle.  The crowd wasn’t huge for this game, but the few Drexel students that were at the game were definitely into the game and the Blue Hens brought themselves up a strong contingent from Newark, who were also quite boisterous when Delaware was playing well.  The atmosphere was also helped by the fact that this game was pretty competitive throughout.  Drexel led by 10 at half before Delaware made a bit of a run and the game was played within a 4-8 point window throughout most of the second half.  Ultimately, the home fans were able to go home happy as Drexel won the game by 6.

The dragon eyes are a nice touch inside the main entrance 

Pregame inside the seating bowl of the arena

There were a lot of students at this game, but had to get a picture of the few that were there trolling the Blue Hens

Opening tip between Drexel and Delaware

Arena #150: SECU Arena - Towson vs. Hofstra

After spending day 1 of my trip in Jersey, it was time to head back south to Maryland for an afternoon Colonial Athletic Association matinee in Towson, MD for a contest between Towson and Hofstra.  This game served as a milestone on Mission 351 as this would be Arena #150 on the journey.  The SECU Arena on the campus of Towson University certainly impressed me from the moment I saw it.  From the outside, the building looks almost brand new and is definitely much more visually striking than I usually see at schools of this size as the arena is built into a hillside on campus.  On the inside, the building is nearly as impressive as it is on the outside.  The arena holds just over 5,000 patrons in 2 levels of approx. 20 rows each, which to me is a perfect size for a mid-major school like Towson.  Unsurprisingly, for a Monday afternoon game, the crowd wasn’t big, but it was actually bigger than I expected.  Hofstra came into the game as the favored team, but Towson was very impressive throughout the first half taking an 8-point lead into halftime.  After half, the Towson lead even ballooned to as much as 12 points before the game completely changed and Hofstra stormed back behind 35 points from Desure Buie to take an 8-point road win back home to Long Island.

SECU Arena built into a hillside in Towson, MD

Corner view of the inside of SECU Arena

Opening tip between Towson and Hofstra

One of the many 3 point attempts (and buckets) from Hofstra's Desure Buie