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UNCW Men's Basketball defeated Hofstra in the 2023 CAA Men’s Basketball semifinal game at the Entertainment Sports Arena in Washington, D.C. on March 6, 2023. PHOTO BY: MICHAEL SPENCER/UNCW
PHOTO CREDIT: MICHAEL SPENCER/UN
79
Winner UNCW UNCW 24-9,12-6 CAA
73
Hofstra Hof 24-9,16-2 CAA
Winner
UNCW UNCW
24-9,12-6 CAA
79
Final
73
Hofstra Hof
24-9,16-2 CAA
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
UNCW UNCW 42 29 8 79
Hofstra Hof 43 28 2 73

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | Joe Browning

Determined Seahawks Upset Top-Seeded Pride

WASHINGTON, D.C. –  Down 12 points. No problem.
 
For the second straight tournament game, No. 4 UNCW rallied from a 12-point deficit to survive and advance, this time upsetting No. 1 Hofstra, 79-73, in overtime in the semifinals of the Jersey Mike's Colonial Athletic Association Men's Basketball Championship on Monday night at the Entertainment & Sports Arena.
 
The Seahawks, who erased a 12-point deficit in Sunday's quarterfinal victory vs. Drexel, improved to 24-9 overall and reached the title game in the CAA for a record 13th time. UNCW shoots for its seventh conference crown – another conference high - Tuesday night against No. 2 seeded Charleston. The Cougars edged No. 3 Towson, 77-72, in Monday's second semifinal.
 
Hofstra, the CAA's regular season champions, had its 12-game winning streak snapped and carries a 24-9 record into the National Invitation Tournament.
 
Sophomore guard Trazarien White anchored three Seahawks in double figures with his fourth double-double of the season and sixth of his career behind 21 points and 11 rebounds. Junior guards Maleeck Harden-Hayes and Donovan Newby chipped in 17 points apiece for UNCW, which shot 44.8 percent on the night.
 
CAA Player of the Year Aaron Estrada continued his outstanding play for Hofstra, scoring a game-high 25 points and adding five rebounds and six assists. Sophomore guard Jaquan Carlos pitched in 19 points and redshirt senior guard Tyler Thomas finished with 14.
 
In the seventh CAA Tournament meeting between the two schools, the Pride jumped out to a 12-pont lead in the first half before the Seahawks caught up and closed the game out in a back-and-forth finish to reach their second straight CAA final.
 
"I'm very proud of our group, but there's a lot of work to do," said Takayo Siddle, UNCW's third-year head coach. "That was a great game. Hofstra is really, really good. We knew it would be tough. We knew it would take the next-play mentality and a lot of belief. Throughout the whole game, even going into overtime, we never wavered one time.
 
"We had that look in our eyes. The job's not finished. We didn't come up here to win one or two games. We came up here to compete and win a championship."
 
The game was full of critical moments. With the clock winding down in regulation, the Seahawks had a chance to finish it, but Nick Farrar's field goal attempt caromed off the rim, sending UNCW to its second overtime game of the season.
 
The Seahawks scored eight of the 10 points in the extra period, holding the Pride to just two free throws in the extra session. The versatile White connected on a free throw to get the scoring started in OT and Harden-Hayes fired in a jumper in the paint to give UNCW a 74-71 lead with 2:53 left.
 
Estrada responded with two free throws with 1:44 remaining to help the Pride get within 74-73, but Farrar got redemption with a key bucket from close range for a 76-73 lead with just 30 seconds left in overtime. After a missed three-point attempt by Carlos in the left corner, the Seahawks sealed the win with two free throws by Donovan Newby with 14 seconds on the clock and another by Shykeim Phillips with five ticks remaining.
 
The high-octane Pride took a 43-42 edge into halftime after squandering an early 12-point lead. The Seahawks shot 50 percent in the first half and took the lead briefly before a pair of free throws by Carlos gave Hofstra the edge at the break.
 
Harden-Hayes scored seven of UNCW's first nine points and the Seahawks trailed, 12-9, with just under 15 minutes to go in the first period.
 
That's when the Pride gained some breathing room. Hofstra went on a 9-0 run over a 1:40 stretch and a three-pointer by Thomas with 12:23 showing on the clock gave the Pride its largest lead of the half, 21-9.
 
GAME NOTES: UNCW snapped a two-game losing streak to Hofstra and avenged a 70-46 loss to the Pride on Jan. 19 in Hempstead …UNCW owns a 5-2 record against HU in the CAA Tournament, but it marked the first time the two schools have met in the semifinals…UNCW stands 13-11 in the CAA semifinals…The Seahawks are now 45-31 lifetime in the CAA Tournament…UNCW is 4-2 in tournament games at the ESA…Hofstra still owns a 26-24 lead in the series with UNCW…The Seahawks are 5-2 in March vs. the Pride…Estrada's 25 points was his highest total in four appearances vs. UNCW...The Seahawks had 14 offensive rebounds in the contest…The two teams combined for 30 turnovers…Hofstra wound up shooting 39.7 percent on the night…Five different Seahawks had a three-pointer…UNCW scored 28 points in the paint…The Seahawks have beaten the Pride three straight times in the CAA Tournament.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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