PRIDE PULLS OUT VICTORY ON ANOTHER FANTASTIC FINISH Hempstead, NY -- Sophomore guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY - pictured) celebrated his 20th birthday by scoring a career-high 35 points and becoming just the second sophomore in school history to rea
Hempstead, NY -- Sophomore guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY - pictured) celebrated his 20th birthday by scoring a career-high 35 points and becoming just the second sophomore in school history to reach the 1,000-point plateau to lead the Pride to a thrilling 88-81 overtime victory over UNC Wilmington in the regular season finale on Saturday at the Mack Sports Complex.
With the win, Hofstra improves to 20-10 on the season and 11-7 in the Colonial Athletic Association, reaching the 20-win plateau for the fourth time in the last five years. The Pride also improved to 13-2 this season in games decided by five or less or in overtime. UNC Wilmington falls to 7-24 overall and 3-15 in the CAA. Hofstra and UNC Wilmington also played an overtime game for the fourth year in a row.
The teams will meet again in the opening round of the CAA Tournament on Friday at 2:30 p.m., as Hofstra drew the fifth seed and UNC Wilmington the 12th seed. The winner of that game will face fourth-seeded Old Dominion on Saturday at 2:30 p.m.
Hofstra, which also received 17 points from junior guard Cornelius Vines (Syracuse, NY), lost a chance at an opening round bye when Old Dominion defeated Northeastern in overtime to secure one of the top four seeds. Drexel fell to the sixth seed after losing 48-47 to William & Mary.
Montez Downey had 21 points and Chad Tomko had 15 in a losing cause for the Seahawks, while Johnny Wolf forced the overtime with a tying three-pointer with 19 seconds left.
Jenkins, who reached the 1,000 career-point milestone with 6:18 left in the second half, hit what proved to be the game-winning shot with 1:31 remaining in the extra session in front a raucous late afternoon crowd of 3,600 at the Mack Sports Complex. His crossover move drew contact with Dominique Lacy, yet his shot hit high off the glass and bounced in. He missed the free throw on the three-point play attempt, but it was still the sixth time this season that he has given Hofstra the lead for good in the final two minutes of play or in overtime.
Tomko missed a shot next trip down and Jenkins capitalized on the defensive stop by converting two free throws to extend the lead. Jenkins, the reigning CAA Player of the Week, broke his previous career high of 33 points, which was also set against the Seahawks set on Jan. 28, an 80-78 Pride victory.
Hofstra led by as much as 14 points in the second half before UNC Wilmington made a comeback bid. Kevon Moore gave the Seahawks a chance, making it 75-72 on a put-back at the two-minute mark. Jenkins answered right back with a driving basket, providing a two-possession lead at 77-72 with 1:41 left.
Dominique Lacy hit a jumper in the paint to make it 77-74 at the 1:23 mark for UNC Wilmington. After both schools exchanged timeouts, Vines had a three-pointer hit the back rim and
