Wilmington, NC - Redshirt senior Jaylen Hines had 20 points and eight rebounds and senior Rosi Nicholson added 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists as the Hofstra women's basketball team closed the regular season in style, rallying to defeat UNCW, 67-52, on Saturday at Trask Coliseum.

It was a strong comeback for the Pride, which trailed by seven at halftime before outscoring the Seahawks, 44-22, in the second half to capture the win.

Senior Jahsyni Knight was also in double figures with 11 points for Hofstra, which improved to 7-19 and 4-14 in Colonial Athletic Association play. UNCW fell to 3-25 and 0-18 in league action.

UNCW jumped out to an early 9-4 lead in the game before Hofstra used a 9-0 scoring run to take a 13-9 lead with 10-8 left in the opening quarter following a three-pointer from redshirt sophomore Sorelle Ineza. The teams would head into the second quarter knotted at 13 as UNCW scored a pair of baskets in the final minute to even the score. A three-pointer from sophomore Maniya Custis gave Hofstra an 18-17 advantage at the 8:20 mark of the second quarter but the Seahawks answered with six straight points to lead 23-18 at the 5:24 mark. A jumper from Knight ended the UNCW run and made it a three-point game but the Seahawks scored the final four minutes of the half to take the seven-point lead into the locker room.

The game flipped in the third quarter for Hofstra as the Pride scored 10 straight points to turn a seven point deficit into a three-point lead, 39-26, with 3:52 left in the quarter after a three-pointer from Knight. Redshirt senior Jaala Henry got the run started for Hofstra and Knight had five points to pace the Pride. A basket from Henry with 33 seconds left in the quarter pushed the lead to six for Hofstra and the Pride would settle for a five-point lead heading into the final quarter.

Redshirt freshman Selma Markisic would take over to start the fourth quarter as she drained a three-pointer and then converted an old-fashioned three-point play to allow Hofstra to open up a double-digit lead, 54-43, with 9:10 left. UNCW would only get as close as six the rest of the way before Hofstra held the Seahawks without a point over the final 2:51 of the game, while scoring eight of their own.

These same two teams will meet again on Thursday in the First Round of the CAA Championship. The game will tip off at 2 p.m. from the Daskalakis Athletic Center on the campus of Drexel University. It will air on FloHoops.

NOTES
-Hofstra improved to 23-19 all-time against UNCW. The Pride has won four straight in the series against the Seahawks.
-Hines needs four more rebounds to move into ninth all-time in Hofstra program history in rebounds.
-Hofstra shot 49-percent from the field and made six three-pointers. The Pride shot a game-best 50-percent in the third period (8-of-13)