Hempstead, NY - Seniors Nathaniel Lester, Mike Moore and
Dwan McMillan, playing their final home game at the Mack Sports Complex,
combined to lead the Pride to a 93-64 win over UNCW in the regular season
finale for both teams.
Moore scored 30 points and was 6-9 from three-point range,
while Lester added 20 points and six rebounds. McMillan contributed four points,
six rebounds and a career-best 15 assists, one shy of the Hofstra school
record set by Robbie Weingard vs. Bloomsfield in the 1983-84 season.
The Pride improved to 10-21 on the year, 3-15 in the CAA.
The Seahawks fell to 9-20 overall and 5-13 in the CAA with their sixth straight
loss.
Hofstra dominated the first half with Lester and Moore
combining for 32 of Hofstra's 45 points. Lester had 15 first half points on
6-11 shooting, while Moore had 17 on 4-8 shooting including 3-5 from long
range.
Hofstra scored the first nine points of the half behind five
from Lester before UNCW scored nine straight to tie the game with 4:53 gone by.
Freddie Jackson had six of the Seahawks points in the run. After the Seahawks
took a 14-11 lead on a Tanner Millson three-pointer with 12:36 to play, Hofstra
scored seven straight to take an 18-14 lead. The Pride would go on to outscore
UNCW 27-11 in the final 10 minutes to take the 45-25 lead at halftime.
The Pride held UNCW to just seven points in the first 7:30
of the second half and built a 66-32 lead on a pair of Stephen Nwaukoni free
throws. The lead would grow to as large
as 37, 90-53, with just over two minutes to go on a Lester free throw.
Nwaukoni finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, his first
double-double of the year. Shemiye McLendon also finished in double-digit
scoring with 10 points.
The 93 points scored by Hofstra was a season-high and the
29-point margin of victory was also a season-best.
Keith Rendleman led the Seahawks with 16 points, nine
rebounds and two blocks. Millson added 11 points and was the only other UNCW
player in double-figures.
Hofstra will next be in action Friday night at the CAA
Championship in Richmond, Virginia. The 11th-seeded Pride will take on
sixth-seeded Georgia State in the first round at 8:30 p.m.
