Hempstead, NY - Charlotte's Shamari Spears scored 26 points on 9-13 shooting, offsetting 25 from junior guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY) and a career-high 18 from junior forward Greg Washington (Centereach, NY) as Hofstra fell 80-72 to the 49ers in the fourth round of the NIT Season Tip-Off Tuesday evening at the Mack Sports Complex.
With the loss, Hofstra falls to 3-3 overall after suffering its first two losses on the road to nationally ranked teams (No. 1 Kansas and No. 12 Connecticut). Charlotte's Chris Braswell (15 points, 11 rebounds) and Derrio Green (12 points) also scored in double figures to help the 49ers improve to 4-1.
Washington fell just one rebound short of his fourth career double-double, while adding three blocks and two steals. Jenkins, who was held to nine points in limited minutes because of an injury the previous two games, reached double figures for the 62nd time in 67 career games. Freshman Chaz Williams (Brooklyn, NY) added 10 points.
The Pride took its final lead with 13:50 left in the game, when Jenkins hit a free throw to put Hofstra ahead, 49-48. But Charlotte surged to an 8-0 run capped by Braswell's put-back for the 56-49 lead the 49ers would not relinquish. Charlotte built its lead up to as many as 10 points at 68-58 on a Braswell jumper with 5:29 left.
An acrobatic three-point play off a drive by Jenkins capped a 10-3 run that brought Hofstra to within 71-68 with 2:44 on the clock. Washington came up with a steal on the defensive end to give the Pride to tie it, but junior guard Nathaniel Lester's (Brooklyn, NY) open right-wing three-pointer went halfway down and came out with just under 2:00 to play.
Lester bounced back to convert a fast break lay-up with 54 seconds left, taking Jenkins' pass and finishing on a reverse to make it 73-70. However, Harris made a free throw on Charlotte's next possession, and Williams' driving lay-up attempt was blocked by Phil Jones as the 49ers held on for the win.
The 18 points for Washington broke his previous career high of 14 set in the opening round of the CAA Tournament against UNC Wilmington last year. He shot 8-11 form the floor, hitting most of his shots from the 15-18 foot range against the Charlotte zone defense. Jenkins matched his career high with five three-pointers in the loss.
Hofstra will resume action after a five-day layoff when it hosts Fairfield in a non-conference game Monday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
