Recap |
Box Scores 
Newark, DE --
Sophomore guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY - pictured) had 26 points and eight assists to lead a second-half rally as the Hofstra Men's Basketball team picked up a 69-59 road win over Delaware on Saturday afternoon at the Bob Carpenter Center.
Sophomore swingman Nathaniel Lester (Brooklyn, NY) scored all but two of his 12 points in the second half and added nine rebounds, while sophomore forward Greg Washington (Centereach, NY) made three shots after the last media timeout to enable the Pride to pull away down the stretch.
Hofstra improves to 17-9 overall and 9-6 against the conference, while winning its third straight game. Delaware falls to 11-16 overall and 5-10 in the CAA.
Brian Johnson (16 points), D.J. Boney (10 points) and Alphonso Dawson (14 points) each scored in double figures. The Pride held the home team to 18-51 field goal shooting, coming to a 35.3 percent average from the floor. Delaware's top three scorers struggled in both games against the Pride, as Marc Egerson shot 3-10 after going 0-10 in the first meeting, Dawson shot 4-15 after shooting 4-17 at Hofstra and Jawan Carter was 1-6 after shooting 2-10 in Hempstead.
Senior forward Zygis Sestokas (Vilnius, Lithuania) chipped in three three-pointers off the bench, including two clutch treys in the second half. Sestokas found a rhythm from the right wing, hitting two key second half three pointers, the second of which broke a deadlock and lifted Hofstra to a 48-45 lead.
But the double-digit victory margin was not indicative of the close contest that featured eight lead changes. After both teams traded key baskets to tie the score at 52 with 5:19 left, Lester drilled a jumper that broke the deadlock, representing the last time Delaware would be even.
Coming out of the final media timeout, Johnson made one of two foul shots to pull Delaware within 54-53, but Washington added consecutive baby-hook floaters in the paint to build the lead to five points. After his second basket, the 6-10 forward contributed on the other end by stealing the ball and setting up Lester's drive and subsequent foul shot, putting the Pride up, 59-53, with 2:15 on the clock.
Delaware got back within four points on an Egerson lay-up, but Washington answered with his third basket in the closing minutes off a feed from Jenkins and the Blue Hens were unable to threaten in the final minute.
After trailing 27-22 at the half, Hofstra surged to fast second-half start. Delaware scored the first basket of the second half, but the Pride came back with a 12-0 run. Lester's driving basket culminated in a three-point play, erasing a seven-point second half deficit to tie the score at 29 with 16:05 left. Jenkins followed a defensive stand by burying a top-of-the-key three pointer to establish Hofstra's first lead since a one-point edge 7:40 into the contest.
The Pride parlayed another defensive stand into a fast-break chance. Lester picked up Jawan Carter's dribble for the steal, springing Jenkins for a drive that drew a foul on his way to the rim. Jenkins made both free throws, capping a 12-0 run to put Hofstra up, 34-29, with 14:50 remaining.
Jenkins sparked Hofstra's offense from the opening tap, scoring six points in the first six minutes. The postseason awards candidate accounted for nearly half of his team's offense, scoring nine points while adding three rebounds and three assists in a back-and-forth first half that featured five lead changes.
Delawareemployed a contrasting offensive style, with no single Blue Hen reaching double figures in the opening half. Instead, four players logged at least five points, giving the home team a balanced attack that sent the Pride into the locker room down, 27-22, at the break.
Carter provided Delaware's final three points when he drew a shooting on Cornelius Vines beyond the arc in front the Pride bench with .4 seconds left. Carter hit all three free throws to swing momentum towards the Blue Hens.
Hofstra shot 61.5 percent in the second half (16-26) after shooting 26.5 percent (9-34) in the first half, ending the game at 41.7 percent. The Pride is now 10-0 this season when it shoots at least 40 percent. Delaware shot just 30.4 percent in the first half and 39.3 percent after the break.
Hofstra will return to Hempstead Wednesday night for a key conference game against James Madison. Tipoff at the Mack Sports Complex is set for 7 p.m.
