Hempstead, NY - Jean Aranguren poured in 20 points, including 17 in the second half, to lead the Hofstra men's basketball team to a huge 66-63 win over UNCW on Saturday afternoon at the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex. Aranguren added four assists and three rebounds in the game.

Khalil Farmer played a key role in the victory, scoring 13 points in his second start of the season. Michael Graham added 11 points and 11 rebounds for his third double-double in 2024-25. 

The win moved Hofstra to 10-7 overall and 2-2 in CAA play. UNCW dropped to 12-5 and 2-2 in conference action.

A close first half saw UNCW lead 24-22 with 5:31 remaining after a basket from Bo Montgomery. The Pride was able to take the lead into the halftime break, though, as Hofstra closed the opening stanza on a 7-0 run to lead 29-24. A three-pointer from Aranguren gave Hofstra the lead at the 2:58 mark and two free throws from KiJan Robinson extended the advantage to five. 

The second half saw Hofstra gradually build its lead to 11 at the 14:04 mark as a Graham basket made it 45-34. The Pride would still lead by 10, 58-48, following another Graham bucket with 8:23 left before UNCW began to mount a rally. Six straight from the Seahawks closed the gap to 58-54, before Hofstra ended the run and pushed the lead back to seven with a Farmer three-pointer.

In what was another epic game in the Hofstra-UNCW rivalry, the Seahawks scored nine straight points to take the lead at 63-61 with 55 ticks left on the clock. Aranguren would be today's hero for the Pride as he converted an old-fashioned three-point play with 31 seconds left to make it 64-63 in favor of Hofstra. After an empty possession by UNCW, Farmer iced the game with a pair of free throws. 

Silas Sunday added six points and seven rebounds in his first start of the season for the Pride. Cruz Davis added seven points, three rebounds, a game-high seven assists, and two steals. 

Donovan Newby had 30 points for UNCW. It is the most points by a visiting player at the Mack Sports Complex since Nicolas Timberlake had 32 for Towson on February 2, 2023. Sean Moore chipped in with nine points and seven rebounds. Newby added five rebounds and five assists. 

Hofstra is back in action on Thursday when it travels to Towson for a 7 p.m. contest. That game will air on the CBS Sports Network.

NOTES
- Today was the 52nd all-time meeting between Hofstra and UNCW with the Pride now leading the series, 28-24. Hofstra has won two straight and four of the last five meetings in the series. 
- Farmer's 13 points were his season-high against an NCAA Division I opponent (career-high is 16 vs. St. Joseph's Long Island). 
- Graham was a perfect 5-5 from the field in the game. It marked his second game this season going 5-5 from the field (Norfolk State). 
- The Pride held the Seahawks to more than 17 points below their scoring average as UNCW came into the game averaging 80.4 points per game this season.