UNCW's Jordan Talley tied an all-time CAA Championship record with 37 points.
Talley's Record-Tying Effort Leads UNCW To Win
Rob Washburn
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NORTH CHARLESTON, S.C. (March 4, 2018) – UNCW senior guard Jordon Talley tied a tournament record with 37 points to lead the Seahawks to a 93-88 victory over Hofstra in Sunday’s final quarterfinal game of the CAA Men’s Basketball Championship, presented by Jersey Mike’s Subs.
The victory sends sixth-seeded UNCW (11-20) into Monday’s tournament semifinals where the Seahawks will meet second-seeded Northeastern, a 74-50 winner over Delaware earlier Sunday. UNCW will be making its fourth straight semifinal appearance and a tournament record 22nd in its 34 CAA seasons. Third-seeded Hofstra fell to 19-12 with the loss.
Talley matched the tournament individual scoring mark, set by William & Mary’s Marcus Thornton in his team’s 92-91 double-overtime win over Hofstra in the 2015 semifinals at Baltimore’s Royal Farms Arena. The 6-foot-1 Richmond, Va., native hit on 12 of 23 shots overall from the field, 5-of-10 three-point attempts and eight of nine free throws. He played 37 minutes and also had five rebounds and seven assists while surpassing his previous career scoring high of 25 points.
Talley’s biggest two points came with 22 seconds remaining when hit he on both of two free throws to give UNCW a 91-88 lead. Hofstra missed on a three-point attempt with 13 seconds left, and UNCW sophomore guard Jaylen Fornes all but sealed his team’s win by hitting on two free throws with 11 seconds left.
The teams’ 181 combined points are the fourth-most in the quarterfinals in 36 seasons of CAA Tournament play, and the game featured eight ties, nine lead changes and large scoring swings by both teams. The Pride and Seahawks also combined for 24 three-point field goals.
Hofstra, after trailing 12-4, used a 14-3 burst to go from a 21-21 tie to a 35-24 first-half lead and led 43-31 before UNCW got to within 48-40 by halftime. Hofstra still led 58-50 with 15:39 to play before UNCW used a 16-3 run to take a 66-61 advantage at the 11:12 mark. Hofstra then rallied to lead 67-66 lead with 8:28 left and held a 79-77 edge on a tip-in by senior center Rokas Gustys with 3:41 to play but didn’t lead again after a Talley field goal and free throw put UNCW up 80-79 with 3:35 left.
A Buie three-pointer with 30 seconds left pulled Hofstra to within 89-88, but the Pride didn’t get another point.
Talley’s scoring effort overshadowed a 29-point performance by Hofstra junior Wright-Foreman, the conference player of the year. He hit on 10 of 23 shots, including seven from three-point range, and had five rebounds and six assists in 33 minutes.
Junior forward Devontae Cacok had 17 points and nine rebounds in 20 foul-plagued minutes, Fornes added 13 points and sophomore guard Ty Taylor had 10 points for UNCW. The Seahawks shot 56.3 percent (18-32) in the second half and 49.2 percent overall (31-31) and had a 43-34 rebounding edge.
Joining Wright-Foreman in double-figure scoring for Hofstra were Buie with 20 points, freshman guard Jalen Ray with 16 and Gustys with 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Pride shot 40.6 percent (13-32) in the second half and 44.8 percent (30-67) overall.
