By Joe Fay -- STAFF WRITER The Hofstra men’s basketball team came back from a 16-point halftime deficit to defeat UNCW 70-69 on Thursday night. The Pride is now tied with the Seahawks atop the CAA with a 13-4 conference record.
Both teams raced off to a quick start, with UNCW up 10-9 five minutes into the game. UNCW began to expand its lead as the half progressed, and Hofstra could do nothing but sit back and watch as the Seahawks shot 56% and went on run after run.
Missed shots and turnovers was the story of the half for the Pride, as the team shot just 30% with nine turnovers. From missing open shots to throwing away routine passes, Hofstra’s offense seemed out of sync and UNCW took advantage of every opportunity.
It didn’t help the Pride that UNCW was also cutting through its zone defense like butter. With five minutes left in the first half, 18 of UNCW’s 28 points had come right around the rim. The Seahawks also held a ten point lead at that point in the game, 28-18. Things only got worse until the halftime buzzer, when UNCW held a 16 point lead over the Pride.
Hofstra rattled off a quick five point run to open the second half, quickly cutting the lead to 11. Hofstra looked like a new team, with life and hope. Five minutes into the second half, the Pride had cut the lead to single digits on an and-one by Ameen Tanksley. For a few minutes, the teams traded baskets back and forth. But with six minutes left, things started to look grim with UNCW pushing the lead back to double digits, 58-47.
The Pride wasn’t going to give in so easy, and began a final push. Strong work from the free throw line gave Hofstra the glimmer of hope it needed, shooting 72 percent (23/32) from the line on the night. Juan’ya Green was fouled on a three-pointer and made all three free throws to pull within striking distance again. Denton Koon then hit two more free throws, and cut the lead down to four points, 58-54, with 4:50 to go in the game.
The lead hovered around four until there was under a minute to go in the game. Then Green did his thing, nailing a huge three-pointer that made it a one point game, 69-68, with just 30 seconds remaining. Green then hit two free throws with 25.1 on the clock to give Hofstra its first lead since 14:52 in the first half. Now down 70-69, UNCW took a timeout to try and draw up a last second game winner. The Seahawks had done just that when the two teams met on February 4th, hitting a three pointer in the final seconds to win the game. This time around, UNCW ran into solid defense from Hofstra, missing the winning shot with Gustys grabbing yet another rebound, his 21st of the game. Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich called timeout with 11 seconds remaining to avoid UNCW putting Gustys to the line. The resulting Hofstra inbound was stolen, and UNCW put up a three-pointer looking for the win. The shot missed, as did the resulting tips, and Hofstra held on for the huge comeback victory, 70-69. The game was an all-around team effort, with four of the starters in double digits. But the story of the game was Green, who scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half. The star put the team on his back and hit the big shots to nail down a victory. Tanksley and Gustys also did their part, with 18 and 10 respectively.
Despite the odds being against them, Hofstra wouldn’t go away. Behind 48% second half shooting and improved defense, the Pride did the improbable. Instead of a blowout loss, Hofstra walked away with its biggest win of the season, one that should provide the spark the team is looking for heading into the CAA tournament.
Hofstra takes on the College of Charleston Saturday at home at 4 p.m. With a victory on Saturday, the Pride would put itself in prime position to secure the top seed heading into the tournament.