MBB: Western Kentucky's Late Rally Topples Hofstra 62-60

11/20/2010 2:02:00 AM

San Juan, P.R. - Senior guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, N.Y.) had 27 points but Western Kentucky used a furious late rally to steal a 62-60 win from Hofstra in the second round of the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off at the Coliseo de Puerto Rico in San Juan.

With the loss, the Pride slips to 1-2 on the year. Western Kentucky improves to 3-1 with the win.

Jenkins scored over 20 points for the 12th straight game, dating back to last year. Junior guard Mike Moore (New Haven, Conn.) added 15 points and 11 rebounds for his first double-double with the Pride.

Hofstra led by 14 (48-34) with 5:18 to go, and still led 57-50 with less than two minutes to play, but Kahlil McDonald hit three-pointers on consecutive possessions to get the Hilltoppers within 59-56. After a Jenkins foul shot put the Pride up by four, Caden Dickerson hit a three-pointer in the corner, and Western Kentucky stole the ensuing inbounds pass, resulting in a lay-up from Brandon Peters to give the Hilltoppers their first lead of the second half at 61-60 with 29 seconds left.

Moore missed a three-pointer in the corner off a Jenkins kick-out pass and Western Kentucky's Juan Pattillo made one of two foul shots with eight seconds left. After Hofstra called a time-out with 3.1 seconds on the clock near the sideline, the Hilltoppers ran two players at Jenkins and left an opening for freshman guard Shemiye McLendon (Vero Beach, Fla.), who tried a running floater in the lane, but it hit off the back rim as Western Kentucky pulled out the dramatic comeback.

Western Kentucky jumped out early to a 16-8 lead at the 10:28 mark, but Hofstra held the Hilltoppers to only three points in the next 10:25 as it took a 24-19 lead. Jenkins started the run with a jumper and ended it with a three-pointer, a pull-up bank shot and a dump-down pass to sophomore forward David Imes (Brooklyn, N.Y.), putting the Pride ahead 24-19 with 1:10 left in the half. Western Kentucky ended its scoring drought with a lay-up from Pattillo with three seconds left to pull within 24-21 at the break.

Western Kentucky tied the score at 24-24 on a three-pointer from Peters, but Moore and Jenkins had back-to-back baskets to put Hofstra back up 28-24. A three-pointer from McLendon (10 points) gave Hofstra a 36-30 lead with 10:43 left, and he followed with a baseline jumper 45 seconds later gave the Pride a 38-30 lead.

Hofstra took its largest lead at 48-34 with 5:41 to go on a Moore foul shot, but Western Kentucky got back within six at 52-46 with 3:10 left on a Pattillo fast break lay-up. The Hilltoppers then got back within five points at 55-50 on a put-back from Steffphon Pettigrew with 2:17 left, setting the stage for the late comeback.

Hofstra will conclude play at the Honda Puerto Rico Tip-Off on Sunday at 10:30 (EST) against Nebraska. The game will be televised nationally on ESPNU.

Hofstra and Nebraska have met one time previously, when the Pride won its first-ever NCAA Division I postseason game with a 73-62 victory over the Cornhuskers in the 2006 Postseason NIT at Hofstra. The Pride went on to reach the NIT quarterfinals that season.

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