Hempstead, N.Y. - Senior guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, N.Y.) had 35 points on 11-19 shooting, including six in overtime, as the Hofstra Men's Basketball team rallied from a 15-point second half deficit to capture a 92-90 overtime win over James Madison on Monday evening at the Mack Sports Complex.
Freshman guard Shemiye McLendon (Vero Beach, Fla.) added 14 points, including the tying foul shots with 17.2 seconds left in regulation and a big three-pointer in overtime to put the Pride ahead by five.
With the win, the Pride improves to 14-6 overall on the season and stays in a tie for first place (8-1) in the Colonial Athletic Association with VCU, which it faces on the road on Thursday. James Madison slips to 15-6 overall and 5-4 in the CAA after suffering its third straight defeat. Hofstra also extends its win streak in the series with James Madison to 12 games, dating back to 2003, which has included three overtime games at home (a triple-overtime 95-88 win in 2004-05 and a double-overtime 99-96 win in 2008-09).
Senior forward Greg Washington (Centereach, N.Y.) added a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds for Hofstra, while senior forward Denzel Bowles had 27 points and 10 boards for the Dukes.
The Pride trailed by as much as 15 points in the second half, and was down by 11 with just over five minutes left before rallying to force overtime on two foul shots from McLendon with 17.2 seconds left, its first tie of the second half.
James Madison took the first lead of overtime on a Bowles foul shot, but a Jenkins lay-up put the Pride in front 81-80. After a Rayshawn Goins basket, Jenkins made two foul shots to put the Pride back in front then hit a 15-foot jumper to stretch the lead to 85-82. Julius Wells made one foul shot, before McLendon buried a three-pointer in the corner with 2:25 left to push the lead to 88-83. Junior guard Mike Moore (New Haven, Conn.) then hit two foul shots before Wells answered with a three-pointer and Bowles hit a lay-up and foul shot to make the score 90-89 with 53.6 seconds left.
After a McLendon miss from three-point territory, James Madison called timeout with 17.4 seconds left. Semenov then missed a runner from in close with 3.9 seconds remaining and freshman forward Stephen Nwaukoni (Queens, N.Y.) grabbed the defensive rebound and hit both free throws to put the Pride ahead 92-89. Hofstra fouled Wells (23 points) on purpose, and he made the first and missed the second deliberately. Bowles had both hands on the offensive rebound for a potential tying lay-up, but Jenkins wrestled it free before Bowles got control and fell on it as time expired.
Hofstra trailed 41-28 at the break and was down 45-30 early in the second half, before a 6-1 run got the Pride within 46-36. Goins then got inside for consecutive baskets for James Madison to make the score 50-36.
Hofstra then used an 11-0 run to get back in it, as Jenkins hit two foul shots with 13:46 left to shrink the lead to single digits at 52-43, then buried a three-pointer to cut it to 52-46. After a defensive stop, Jenkins kicked the ball out to McLendon for a three-pointer to make it 52-49.
Wells stopped the run with a jumper for the Dukes, and Devon Moore followed with a lay-up and two foul shots to make the score 58-49 with 9:24 left. Goins then hit a foul shot with 7:09 left to get the lead to 65-55, but Jenkins answered right back with a three-point play.
After the Dukes went up by 11 on two Andrey Semenov foul shots, senior guard Brad Kelleher (Victoria, Australia) hit a three-pointer with 5:06 left to make it 69-61, then grabbed a defensive rebound and made two foul shots with 4:45 remaining to cut it to 69-63.
Semenov hit two more foul shots with 4:28 left to stretch the lead to eight, but Jenkins answered with a big three-pointer and after Wells missed a corner three-pointer. McLendon hit a three-pointer from the left wing off a Kelleher feed to bring the Pride within 71-69.
Bowles hit one of two at the line with 3:15 remaining, and Semenov made a pair with 2:53 left to get the lead back up to 74-69. Jenkins then stole the ball from Semenov and hit two foul shots of his own at the 2:11 mark, before Devon Moore answered with two with 1:53 left. Jenkins was fouled in the act of shooting a three-pointer with 1:45 left and made two of three. Mike Moore then had a put-back on a Jenkins miss off a James Madison turnover to cut it to one, but Semenov hit two more free throws with 54.2 seconds left to make it a three-point game.
Kelleher hit a running bank shot with 38.2 left to make it 78-77, and Devon Moore made one shot before a lane violation cost the Dukes a second one. McLendon then went to the line with 17.2 seconds left and hit both to tie the score for the first time in the second half, and Devon Moore was stripped going to the basket by sophomore guard Yves Jules (Brooklyn, N.Y.) as time expired in regulation.
The Pride started quickly as it jumped out to a 7-0 lead. Washington blocked two lay-ups from Bowles at the defensive end and capped off the run with a jump hook. However, James Madison used a 15-0 run to turn a 22-16 deficit into a 31-22 lead, as Humpty Hitchens hit back-to-back three-pointers. The Dukes then used a pair of three-pointers from Wells to stretch the lead to 41-28 at the break.
Jenkins also increased his career scoring total to 2,241, moving into second all-time at Hofstra, 35 shy of the school record. Mike Moore finished with 14 points for Hofstra, while Kelleher added 10. Devon Moore had 13 points and eight assists for the Dukes, while Goins had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds.
Hofstra will next be in action when it travels to VCU on Thursday night for a 7 p.m. battle for first place, which will be televised nationally on ESPNU.
