Hofstra guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY/Springfield Gardens - pictured) averaged 23.3 points over four games to lead Long Island to the Men's Basketball Open Division championship at the Empire State Games in Binghamton this weekend.

Jenkins had 25 points in the gold medal game on Sunday morning at the Binghamton Events Center, a 104-78 win over New York City. He was upstaged a bit on Sunday, though, by soon-to-be Hofstra teammate Cornelius Vines (Syracuse, NY/Henninger/Iowa Lakes C.C.), who had a game-high 28 points for Long Island in the gold medal contest, including six three-pointers, after averaging 9.7 points in the three games during pool play.

Hofstra forward Greg Washington (Centereach, NY/Central Islip/Winchendon Prep) added 14 for Long Island in the gold medal contest, while swingman Nathaniel Lester (Brooklyn, NY/Canarsie) had 26 points in a losing effort for New York City, giving Hofstra players a combined 93 points in the gold medal game.

In pool play, Jenkins was the second-leading scorer at the Empire State Games, averaging 22.7 points to help Long Island to a perfect 3-0 record. Only Talor Battle (Penn State) of Adirondack averaged more (24.7) during pool play. Vines contributed 9.7 points during pool play, including 15 against Hudson Valley and 12 (on four three-pointers) in the opening game against Adirondack, while Washington had nine points in each of Long Island's first two contests.

For New York City, Hofstra forward Darren Townes (New York, NY/Manhattan Center/Globe Institute) scored a team-high 21 points in an opening-day loss to Western New York, while Lester averaged 15.0 points over the three games during pool play, scoring in double figures in all three contests.

Jenkins will be entering his sophomore season for Hofstra in 2008-09 after earning the Colonial Athletic Association and Metropolitan New York Rookie of the Year Awards last year. Jenkins averaged 15.0 points per game as a freshman last year, the most for a Pride freshman since all-time leading scorer Antoine Agudio had 15.1 in his freshman season in 2004-05. Washington and Lester will also be entering their sophomore seasons, while Townes will be a senior and Vines a junior after transferring in from Iowa Lakes Community College.