UNCW Upends Top-Seeded Hofstra in OT to Return to CAA Final
Rob Washburn
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WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 6, 2023) – Fourth-seeded UNCW advanced to the finals of the Jersey Mike’s CAA Men’s Basketball Championship for the second year in a row, battling past top-seeded Hofstra, 79-73 in overtime, in a thrilling first semifinal contest on Monday night at the Entertainment & Sports Arena.
The Seahawks improved to 24-9 and advanced to the CAA title game for the 13
th time, where they will face either Charleston or Towson at 7 p.m. on Tuesday night. Hofstra, which had its 12-game winning streak snapped, dropped to 24-9 but will continue its season in the NIT after capturing a share of the CAA regular-season championship.
UNCW was led by sophomore forward Trazarien White, who recorded a double-double with team-highs of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Maleek Harden-Hayes tallied 17 points on 7-of-8 FG shooting and Donovan Newby also scored 17.
Hofstra got a game-high 25 points and six assists from CAA Player of the Year Aaron Estrada. Jaquan Carlos contributed 19 points and eight rebounds and Tyler Thomas chipped in 14 points for the Pride.
After battling to a 72-72 draw in regulation, UNCW went up 74-71 in the extra session on a tough jumper in the lane by Harden-Hayes. A pair of Estrada free throws trimmed the deficit to one, but Nick Farrar converted a one-handed shot in the lane to give the Seahawks a 76-73 lead with 30 seconds on the clock. The Pride missed a pair of 3-point field goal attempts in the final 18 seconds and a pair of made free throws by Newby and one by Shykeim Phillips sealed the victory in the first overtime semifinal contest since 2019.
Five quick points from Harden-Hayes put UNCW on top early, but Hofstra’s Carlos responded with seven points in a 12-1 run. A 9-0 spurt by the Pride capped by a Thomas trey made it 21-9, and Hofstra still led by 10 (38-28) after an Estrada three with 6:16 to go in the half. However, five straight points from White kickstarted a 14-3 Seahawks’ surge and UNCW regained the lead, 42-41, on a pair of Newby free throws. Two Carlos free throws gave the Pride a one-point edge at the break.
Behind six points from White, UNCW opened the second half on a 11-3 surge and took its largest lead, 53-46, on a Harden-Hayes trey with 15:41 on the clock. Hofstra battled back and went up 59-57 midway through the period following back-to-back treys from Thomas and Estrada. UNCW answered once again though, reeling off nine unanswered points capped by a Phillips jumper that made it 66-59 with 7:07 on the clock. Hofstra responded with a 9-2 run and a step back three from Estrada knotted the game at 68-68 with 4:48 remaining.
A Newby three put the Seahawks back on top before Thomas tied it up by sinking three free throws with 19 seconds left. UNCW had a chance to win it in regulation, but Farrar’s short hook shot bounced off the rim as time expired.
UNCW shot 50% from the floor for the game and had a 43-31 rebounding advantage. Hofstra shot 39.7% and missed all five of its field goal attempts in overtime.
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