The Hofstra Pride men’s basketball team saw its four-game winning streak come to an end on Saturday, Jan. 29, after losing on the road to the UNC-Wilmington Seahawks (UNCW), 78-72, inside Trask Coliseum. The loss dropped the Pride to 13-8 overall this season and 5-3 in conference play.

Aaron Estrada’s 11 points in the first half led the charge for Hofstra in the opening 20 minutes of play. By halftime, the Pride held a 40-34 lead. UNCW had clawed their way back into the game after being down by 15 points with just over 10 minutes to go in the half. Both teams were efficient on offense, with UNCW shooting 40% from the field while Hofstra shot at a 57.7% clip.

“[The starting five] is our best defensive lineup, and I think that’s what is helping us get off to a good start,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “We’re buying in on the defensive end; those guys are getting stops, and we’re scoring on the other end.”

UNCW started the second half strong, scoring the first six points of the half to tie the game at 40. From then on the Pride and the Seahawks went back and forth, with Hofstra edging slightly ahead, 66-64, with just under five minutes left to play.

The Seahawks took the lead back 70-68 inside the two-minute mark, and they held on to it for the six-point win over the Pride.

Mike Okauru led UNCW in scoring with 19 points throughout the game. Jaylen Sims also scored in double-figures, with 12 points, to go along with his six assists and five rebounds. With the win, the Seahawks extended their winning streak to 11 games and widened the gap between themselves and the rest of the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) by improving to 8-0 in conference play.

The Pride had another balanced scoring attack, with four players scoring in the double figures. Estrada scored 17 points and took down nine rebounds while shooting 6-10 from the field. Zach Cooks had 15 points off the bench, and Jalen Ray tallied 11 points of his own, to go along with six rebounds. The game was Ray’s 142nd as a member of the Hofstra Pride, making him the new all-time leader for games played in program history.

“I thought my guys played hard. They competed hard out there. You know, it was a hostile environment, but they came to play,” Claxton said. “We just lost it on the defensive end to start the second half. We didn’t come out with the intensity that we needed like we started the game.”

Hofstra will look to begin a new winning streak, when they return home to take on Towson University on Thursday, Feb. 3.

Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics