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UNC Wilmington Athletics

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Events/Results

C.J. Gettys
Chris Crouch
68
Winner Hofstra HOFSTRA 10-4(1-0 CAA)
56
UNCW UNCW 5-7 (0-1 CAA)
Winner
Hofstra HOFSTRA
10-4(1-0 CAA)
68
Final
56
UNCW UNCW
5-7 (0-1 CAA)
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Hofstra HOFSTRA 25 43 68
UNCW UNCW 36 20 56

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Hofstra Rallies To Trim UNCW In CAA Opener, 68-56

WILMINGTON, North Carolina – Hofstra closed out the game with a 19-3 run, including 10 straight points during a critical stretch late in the contest, to overcome UNCW, 68-56, in the Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball opener for both teams early Saturday at Trask Coliseum.
 
The Seahawks (5-7, 0-1) continue the early portion of their conference slate by challenging preseason favorite Northeastern Monday night in Boston. The Pride (10-4, 1-0), picked to finish third in the league race, returns to Hempstead, N.Y., for its CAA home opener Monday against defending CAA champion Delaware at the Mack Sports Complex.
 
Newcomers Juan'ya Green and Ameen Tanksley paced the Pride with 15 points apiece, while graduate guard Dion Nesmith chipped in 10. Green and Tanksley transferred into the Hofstra program from Niagara, the previous stop for Head Coach Joe Mihalich.
 
Redshirt junior guard Craig Ponder reached double digits for the sixth consecutive game and a team-leading 10th contest to pace the Seahawks with 13 points. Senior guard Addison Spruill and redshirt sophomore center C.J. Gettys had 11 points apiece. Gettys just missed his first career double double with nine rebounds.
 
"It was a tale of two halves," said UNCW first-year skipper Kevin Keatts. "Both teams struggled a little bit defensively and the offense suffered because they weren't scoring. When we stopped scoring, we didn't defend as well.
 
"I thought we did a good job on Green and Tanksley, but Hofstra has good players. Anytime you play a team with good players, the players find a way to get their points and averages. I feel like we can play with anybody on our schedule. No one's pushing the panic button. We just have to figure out how to play a complete game."
 
The Seahawks led for 30:01 in the 31st meeting between the two teams, but the Pride offset 30.5 percent shooting by outscoring UNCW, 28-10, at the free throw line. The Pride outpointed the Seahawks, 43-20, in the second half to win their fifth straight against the hosts.
 
Hofstra trailed by 11 points at halftime, 36-25, before catching fire early in the second period to catch the Seahawks. The Pride canned eight of its first 11 shots in the final period and finally took the lead, 43-42, when Tanksley swished a triple in front of the Hofstra bench with 12:52 remaining – their first lead since the 18:44 mark of the first half.
 
UNCW battled back to regain the advantage, 53-49, with just under seven minutes remaining before the Pride, living at the free throw line most of the day, made its move.
 
Green sank a free throw to start the decisive spurt and added two more at the end as the Pride bolted ahead, 59-53, at the 4:03 mark. Green scored seven points in the rally to help Hofstra create some breathing room. After Spruill drained a triple from the left corner, Hofstra scored the final nine points of the game to nail down the conference road win.
 
Hofstra went 15-of-20 at the free throw line over the final seven minutes to win for the third straight time at Trask Coliseum. Spruill's trey was UNCW's lone field goal over the last 8:14 of the game.
 
The Seahawks jumped out to an early 9-2 advantage after capitalizing on Hofstra's cold start. While the Pride was missing its first five shots and committing three turnovers, Ponder scored four points and his triple on the right wing at the 15:44 mark staked the Seahawks to an early edge.
 
UNCW maintained control in the opening period as Hofstra struggled offensively. The 7-0 Gettys connected on a bank shot near the right baseline to give UNCW its largest lead of the half, 20-8, with 10:06 left in the first stanza.
 
The Pride, which made just four of its first 20 field goal attempts, battled back, however, and used an 11-1 run to pull within 21-19 on Green's pull up jumper at 5:15.
 
Gettys came up big, though, as UNCW answered with a 10 straight points and jumped back ahead, 31-19. Gettys, who finished the first half with nine points and eight rebounds, had five points in the spurt. The lead swelled to 36-23 on a Freddie Jackson free throw before a tip dunk by Rokas Gustys narrowed UNCW's lead to 36-25 at halftime.
 
GAME NOTES: The Seahawks dropped their CAA opener for the seventh consecutive season…Hofstra outrebounded UNCW, 47-38, with 19 offensive rebounds…The two teams combined for 8-of-41 from behind the arc…Coach Kevin Keatts used his fourth different starting lineup of the season…The Seahawks went 10-of-15 at the free throw line…Four UNCW players finished with at least four fouls…Senior guard Freddie Jackson played all but one minute…The Seahawks are now 12-19 in CAA openers and 7-10 in CAA home debuts…UNCW stands 0-4 against second-year HU coach Joe Mihalich…The Seahawks lost to the Pride for the first time in a CAA opener…The result was UNCW's first home loss of the season following wins over St. Andrews, Liberty and East Carolina.




 
 
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