Junior center Jess Fuller (Queens, NY) posted 10 points and 13 rebounds for her 11th double-double of the season and freshman guard Asia Jenkins (Piscataway, NJ) scored nine points off the bench in the Pride's home finale, but UNC Wilmington jumped out to an early lead and never trailed in a 58-53 Seahawk victory on Sunday afternoon at the Mack Sports Complex.

Hofstra was able to tie the score midway through the second half despite missing the services of its top three point guards and starting forward for much of the contest, but the gritty effort wasn't enough as Hofstra fell to 16-12 overall and 8-9 in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play with the loss.

Greta Luksyte recorded a game-high 15 points for UNC Wilmington, which entered in a tie with Hofstra for fifth place in the conference. Brittany Blackwell added nine points and Candice Walker scored 11 for the Seahawks, which improved to 15-13 and 9-8 against the conference.

Freshman forward Joelle Connelly (Arcade, NY) provided a strong low-post presence with 10 points and two blocks before being limited by an injury suffered in the first half that kept her on the bench after halftime. Fuller did her best to pick up the production in the paint, pouring in six second half points and nine rebounds. Her four blocks gives her a conference-leading 90 on the season.

Hofstra utilized a makeshift rotation at point guard with the top three players on the depth chart unavailable. Senior guard Niki Williams (Pittsburgh, PA) played just eight minutes because of illness and Nicole Capurso and Candice Bellocchio were inactive because of injuries.

Jenkins stepped up to fill the void at the point position, adding three assists while junior Sam Brigham (Simsbury, CT) contributed 10 points. Senior guard Natty Fripp (Oakland, CA) added 12 points in the final regular season home game of her career.

The Pride came all the way back on Jenkins' drive, knotting it up at 40 with nine minutes left. That was the second time Hofstra was able to tie the game, but but Treasure Johnson, Brittany Blackwell and Luksyte prevented the Pride from taking the lead by adding consecutive close-range baskets.

Kristen Hanzer's driving layup completed an 8-0 that built a 48-40 advantage with 6:41 left. Fripp made it interesting in the final minute, hitting back-to-back three-pointers to cut the deficit to 55-53 with just under 36 seconds left before Blackwell hit two free throws, securing UNC Wilmington's victory.  

Luksyte provided the bulk of the Seahawks offense in the first half, scoring 11 points on the strength of two three pointers to hand UNC Wilmington a 30-23 halftime lead. Yet Connelly kept Hofstra in the contest thanks to her perfect shooting. The first-year forward hit all four of her field goals and both free throw attempts for 10 points in 15 minutes of action at the break.

UNC Wilmington generated turnovers and capitalized on the other end, surging to a quick start. Blackwell's layup off a missed free throw allowed the Seahawks to surge to a 9-0 lead just 2:42 into the contest, prompting Hofstra to call a timeout.

The respite seemed to energize Hofstra. Brigham shook the Pride awake following a lackluster start, creating her own shot with a driving basket, forcing a midcourt steal and finishing with a coast-to-coast layup. Fuller added a put-back finger roll and a bank shot in the low post to cap the 8-0 run that cut UNC Wilmington's lead to 13-12 with 11:35 remaining.

Williams (Pittsburgh, PA) started but played just three minutes in the first half before being sidelines for the remainder of the stanza.  With guards Capurso and Bellocchio (both Staten Island natives) also sidelined with injuries, the Pride kept it close at halftime as Brigham added seven points.

Fripp, Williams and Kristina Campbell (Princeton, NJ) were honored with a pregame Senior Day ceremony. All three players are four-year letter-winners for the Pride and contributed to Hofstra's back-to-back WNIT appearances from 2006-07.

The special presentations extended into halftime. Liz Irwin (#14) and Dia LaBella (#15) both had their numbers retired. Irwin, who graduated in 1982, currently ranks eighth all-time in scoring with 1,455 points and is the program's all-time leader in assists with 828. 

Like Irwin, LaBella is also a member of Hofstra Athletics Hall of Fame and graduated in 1982. The duo led Hofstra to a pair of additional postseason appearances in 1980 and 1981 and an AIAW Division II National Championship in 1982. Both players will continue to have banners with their name and number hanging from the Mack Sports Complex's rafters.

Before the CAA Tournament bracket is settled, the Pride will head to Northeastern Wednesday for the regular season finale. Game time is scheduled for 7 p.m.

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