Four Pride players posted double-digit figures as the Hofstra men’s basketball team won their fourth straight contest 82-73 over the UNC-Wilmington (UNCW) Seahawks Saturday, Jan. 30, at the Trask Coliseum.
The first half saw both teams exchanging leads and runs as Hofstra opened the game with a 10-3 lead with Kvonn Cramer netting five of Hofstra’s 10 points. The Seahawks responded with a 10-1 run giving UNCW a two-point advantage after the first six minutes of play. The rest of the half was a back-and-forth affair with the Pride countering each UNCW basket.
The Pride held a slim three-point advantage at the half 39-36 and found themselves trailing near the midpoint of the second half 54-51. An Omar Silverio three-pointer kickstarted a 12-2 run spanning over four minutes, giving Hofstra a 63-57 lead.
“We did a good job making some adjustments but our biggest adjustment was our energy and effort and they played harder,” said Hofstra acting head coach Mike Farrelly.
Jamahri Harvey brought the Seahawks within two with over five minutes remaining, however, UNCW only scored two points in the following four minutes while the Pride continued to cushion their lead.
“Overall a really good effort,” Farrelly said. “We locked down when we needed to and got stops.”
Isaac Kante led the way for Hofstra with 18 points and seven rebounds. Silverio recorded a career-high 17 points while Jalen Ray also netted 17. Cramer recorded his third-straight double-digit game with 16 while also grabbing nine rebounds.
Mike Okauru led all scorers with 21 for the Seahawks while Joe Pridgen added 17 points and eight rebounds.
Hofstra shot 57.4% from the field, their second highest percentage of the season, and 36.8% beyond the arch compared to 47.6% from the field and 27.6% from three for UNCW.
With the win Hofstra moves to 10-6 overall and 6-3 in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) while UNCW falls to 7-7 (1-4 CAA). The win is Hofstra’s third-straight over UCNW and also gives Hofstra the all-time series advantage 23-22.
Hofstra will face UNCW again on Sunday, Jan. 31, in game two of the weekend doubleheader.
Photo Courtesy of Hofstra Athletics
