Junior guard T.J. Carter had 23 points and 13 rebounds, including 12 straight Seahawk points down the stretch, as UNC Wilmington held off a furious second half rally and defeated Hofstra 78-67 in the Colonial Athletic championship game on Monday evening at Richmond Coliseum.
The loss drops the Pride's record to 24-6 on the season, while ending its win streak at six games. Hofstra, which was making its first appearance in the CAA Championship since joining the league in 2001-02, will now learn its postseason fate when the NCAA and NIT tournament fields are announced on Sunday, March 12. The Pride entered the game ranked #25 in the latest RPI report, leaving it solidly in the mix for an NCAA at-large berth. UNC Wilmington improves to 25-7 and captures its fourth CAA title in the last seven years, earning the league's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament.
Junior guard Loren Stokes (Buffalo, NY - pictured) led Hofstra with 26 points, keying a second half run which saw the Pride whittle a 23-point UNC Wilmington lead (53-30) down to three points at 62-59 with 4:00 left. However, Carter converted on three straight field goal attempts, the last a three-pointer with the shot clock winding down to make the score 70-63 with 1:22 left and effectively ice the game. The Seahawks shot 11-11 from the free throw line down the stretch to seal the win.
UNC Wilmington also jumped out quickly in the first half, using a 19-3 run to take a 22-5 advantage with 11:44 to go on a three-pointer from junior guard Temi Soyebo. The Seahawks stretched their first half lead up to as many as 20 points at 35-15 on a three-point play from Carter, but Hofstra went on an 11-0 run to pull within 35-26 with 43 seconds left in the half on a free throw from junior guard Carlos Rivera (San German, PR). However, senior guard John Goldsberry answered with a three-pointer to give the Seahawks a 38-26 lead heading into the break.
The second half saw the Seahawks once again jump out to a big run. After a Stokes jumper made the score 42-30, UNC Wilmington scored 11 straight points, capped off by three consecutive three-pointers from three different players. Sophomore forward Todd Hendley hit the first one to make the score 47-30, Goldsberry followed with a long three-pointer from the right wing, and Carter capped it off with a three-pointer in the corner to make the score 53-30, UNC Wilmington's largest lead of the game.
However, the Pride responded with their backs to the wall in a big way, going on a 24-5 run to pull within 62-59 with four minutes left. Back-to-back three-pointers from Stokes and Rivera pulled Hofstra within 59-46. After a Hendley foul shot made the score 60-46, Stokes scored on a lay-up, and sophomore guard Antoine Agudio (Huntington Station, NY) buried a three to get the lead back under double digits at 60-51 with 7:12 left. Senior forward Mitch Laue hit a 17-foot jumper to stop the run, but the Pride scored the next eight points, including five from senior forward Adrian Uter (Queens, NY) to make the score 62-59.
Carter, though, then caught fire at exactly the right time for the Seahawks, hitting a jumper in the paint with 2:51 left and adding an old-fashioned three-point play with 2:11 remaining to make the score 67-60. Agudio hit a three-pointer from the left wing with 1:57 left to pull the Pride within 67-63, but Carter's deep three with the shot clock winding down finally thwarted the comeback.
Rivera had 16 points, eight rebounds, three assists and no turnovers on the day. Rivera played all 120 minutes in the CAA Tournament without a turnover, tallying nine assists. Agudio added 13 points, and hit two three-pointers, tying his own school record for three-pointers in a season with 82. Stokes and Rivera were both named to the CAA All-Tournament team, while Carter was named the Most Outstanding Player.
