UNC WILMINGTON 77, HOFSTRA 68
WILMINGTON, N.C. Junior guard T.J. Carter, who torched Hofstra for a career-high 31 points in last month's triple overtime loss to the Pride, poured in 15 of his team-high 20 points in the second half to power UNC Wilmington over the Pride, 77-68, in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball Wednesday night at Trask Coliseum.
The Seahawks won their third straight to improve to 20-7 overall and 13-3 in the CAA. UNCW kept within one game of league-leader George Mason, which topped Drexel, 67-48, on Wednesday.
Hofstra, which has lost all five appearances in Trask Coliseum since joining the CAA in 2001-02, had its six-game winning streak snapped and now stands 18-5 and 11-4.
Carter was one of five players in double figures for the Seahawks, who reached 20 wins during the regular season for only the second time in school history. Senior guard John Goldsberry chipped in 15, along with a career-high seven steals, while sophomore center Vladmir Kuljanin added 14. Forwards, senior Mitch Laue had 11 and sophomore Todd Hendley finished with 10.
Sophomore guard Antoine Agudio paced Hofstra with 26 points, followed by junior guard Loren Stokes with 16 markers. Agudio finished 7-of-10 from the floor, including 2-5 from behind the 3-point line, and 10-of-11 from the charity stripe. Senior Adrian Uter hauled in a career-high 18 rebounds, nine on the offensive glass.
Leading 33-25 at the break, the Seahawks withstood an early spurt in the second half by the Pride. After Hendley hit a bucket to open the final period, the Pride scored six straight points to pull within, 35-31. A thundering dunk by Uter cut the deficit to four points with 18:02 left.
UNCW increased its lead to as many as 13 points before the final nine point verdict. The Seahawks answered HU's run with eight straight points to jump ahead, 43-31, and Carter's trey from the left wing pushed the difference to 13 points, 60-47, at 8:59.
Hofstra took advantage of a slow start by UNCW to grab a quick 4-0 lead. The Seahawks missed their first six shots before junior guard Temi Soyebo made the first of two free throws at 15:44 to break the drought. Soyebo's free throw ignited a string of 11 straight points by the Seahawks, capped by Goldsberry's trifecta with 12:33 left that staked UNCW to an 11-4 lead.
UNCW's largest margin of the first half came at the four-minute mark when Kuljanin converted a pair of free throws to give the Seahawks a 30-16 advantage. Kuljanin made all four of his field goal attempts and added a paid of free throws for nine points and four rebounds off the bench for the Seahawks.
Both teams lost key players to injuries in the first half. HU's Carlos Rivera went down with an ankle injury at 14:58 and Soyebo left the game with a knee injury with two minutes left in the first period before returning.
The Seahawks have an eight-day break before playing their final road game of the season on Feb. 23 at VCU. The Pride meets Siena on Saturday in a 4 p.m. ESPN Bracket Busters game at Hofstra Arena.
