https://twitter.com/HUChronSports/status/695430326202413056
By Joe Barone — STAFF WRITER
Hope and excitement swiftly changed to frustration and disgust as the University of North Carolina at Wilmington came to Hempstead Thursday night and shocked the Hofstra Pride Men’s Basketball team, 70-67.
Fans packed the Mack Sports Complex for the most anticipated game in recent memory. But they all left with the same reaction, disbelief.
“It definitely stings,” head coach Joe Mihalich said after the loss to UNCW. “I thought some stretches we played some of our best basketball, but in others, we didn’t play as well as we had to.”
The first half was undoubtedly one of Hofstra’s best basketball outings of the season. The Pride stormed out of the gates with a dominating 20-6 advantage just nine minutes into the contest. Juan’ya Green was on a mission as he had six points, four assists, and four blocks in the first half.
Behind an inspired crowd, Brian Bernardi looked as if he regained his early-season scoring touch. He cashed in five points during a 15-2 run in favor of Hofstra. The Staten Island native would finish the evening with nine points in total foreshadowing the roadblock Hofstra encountered in the second half.
As Hofstra’s lead grew, so did the decibel level at the Mack. Power dunks from Andre Walker and Justin Wright-Foreman had the Pride flying high to a 16-point lead.
The emergence of Walker, Wright-Foreman and freshman guard Desure Buie has cushioned the blow from the loss of senior Malik Nichols to a knee injury. Any uncertainty Coach Joe Mihalich had about his reserves was wiped clean. All three played pivotal roles off the bench in the first half, netting a combined 11 points.
The lead swelled to 20 when Ameen Tanksley nailed a three-pointer off a pretty pass from Rokas Gustys with 2:24 remaining in the first half.
That was when things turned sour. Fouls by Green, Bernardi and Buie kept UNCW afloat as the Pride began to lose some composure.
The Seahawks capitalized as they scored the final eight points of the first session. Hofstra’s big lead was sliced, 38-26 at halftime, and left the court searching for answers.
“I’m not sure we kept our composure like we have done down the stretch,” Mihalich said. “We’ve been down this road before but [losing our composure is] not like us. We’ll learn from that.”
The second half started and momentum clearly favored the bench occupied by the team from North Carolina.
Early on, it was the Seahawks chipping away at Hofstra’s big lead due in large part to C.J. Bryce’s big performance of 24 points. The freshman was a difference maker for UNCW and a force that the Pride could not halt.
Things took a turn for the worse when the Seahawks forced Hofstra out of their comfort zone. At one point, the Pride had a stretch of 0-9 shooting from the field, later converting just two of 18 shots.
Hofstra fans saw first place slipping away, as did Juan’ya Green.
“We weren’t talking to each other and it showed. The game just started slipping away from us,” Green said.
In 19 minutes, UNCW took a 20-point deficit and turned it into a 63-62 advantage. That span capped a crippling 45-24 run for the Seahawks.
Like they have done all season, the Pride didn’t go down without a fight.
Their resiliency broke through as Juan’ya Green and Rokas Gustys teamed up for a pivotal steal with less than 30 seconds remaining, setting up Green for the game-tying three-pointer sending the Mack faithful into a frenzy.
Green ties it with a 3 ball. 67-67 with 20 seconds to play. Seahawks ball. pic.twitter.com/zbE0GPEwKS
— Hofstra Chronicle Sports (@HUChronSports) February 5, 2016
With 10 seconds on the clock and the game knotted at 67, UNCW took one last attempt. Denzel Ingram, who had 15-points in the second half and 18 in total, heaved a three-pointer from well beyond the arc that silenced Hempstead.
Hofstra had one last opportunity for a dramatic play, but Ameen Tanksley could not bury the game-tying three-pointer to force overtime.
Offensive inefficiency describes the second half for the Pride, ultimately leading to their implosion.
In the final 20 minutes, Hofstra shot a sobering 18 percent from the field, converting just four times out of 22 attempts. Shots from beyond the arc were no better as the Pride connected on two out of 11 attempts.
Moving forward, the Pride know they have plenty of season left.
“We can’t wait to go out and play again. Let’s go play,” Mihalich said. “Every game is a challenge, we know that, but the only way to get better is to play another game.”
They will have another shot to rebound on Sunday, Feb. 7, 2015 when Hofstra hits the road to face James Madison. Tip-off in Harrisonburg, Virginia at 3 p.m.
