Hempstead, NY - Junior guard
Juan'ya Green scored a season-high 24 points and added a career-high tying 11 assists to lead four Pride players in double-figures as Hofstra posted a 93-71 win over Wagner Sunday evening at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
Joining Green in double-digit scoring was classmate
Ameen Tanksley with 17 points, sophomore
Jamall Robinson with 13 points and sophomore
Brian Bernardi with 11. Tanksley was 5-5 from three-point range in the game.
Hofstra, which won its second consecutive game, improves to 3-1 on the season. Wagner falls to 1-3.
Hofstra raced out to a 47-30 lead at the half behind 14 points from Green. The junior guard was 4-4 from the floor and 5-5 from the free throw line in the opening 20 minutes. The Pride shot well as a team, connecting on 73 percent from the field (16-22).
Wagner led 7-6 3:30 into the game on a jumper from Marcus Burton before Bernardi tied the game with a free throw with 16:08 to play. That ignited a 10-2 run that gave the Pride a 16-9 lead with 12:54 to play. The Pride would later use a 19-5 run to take their largest lead of the half 43-22, on a
Malik Nichols layup with 2:08 to play in the half. Robinson scored seven points for the Pride in the run.
The Seahawks would close out the half on an 8-4 run to cut the halftime deficit to 17. Burton scored five points in the run, while Aaren Edmead scored three points.
Hofstra would use a 14-0 run to take a 30-point lead, 81-51 with 6:12 to play. Green had five points in the run, while Tanksley added six on back-to-back three-pointers. Wagner stopped the run with a free throw, but freshman
Andre Walker converted an offensive rebound and put the Pride back up by 31, 83-52, with 4:52 to play.
The Seahawks scored four straight points off Hofstra turnovers to get within 27, 83-56, with 3:58 to play but would not get closer than the final margin as Hofstra picked up the win.
In addition to the four-double figure scorers, Walker led the Pride with a season-best 10 rebounds. Green's 11 assists matched his career-high set against fairfield when he played at Niagara. The 11 assists were also the most by a Pride player since Dwan McMillan (now an assistant at Wagner) had 15 versus UNCW on February 25, 2012.
Edmead led Wagner with 15 points and five assists, while Burton contributed 13 points.
Hofstra returns to action Tuesday night at South Florida. Game time is set for 7 p.m. and will air on ESPN3. The game is the first of a two-game road trip for the Pride as the team will play at Jackson State Friday night at 8 p.m.
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