BALTIMORE — Hofstra’s double overtime loss in the CAA Tournament semifinals last year was crushing.
There may not be a proper adjective to describe the helpless feeling of how this one unfolded.
The better team for 30 minutes, the top-seeded Pride came undone, blowing a 12-point lead and watching their NCAA Tournament hopes fall painfully short Monday night at Royal Farms Arena. Second-seeded UNC-Wilmington rallied for an 80-73 overtime victory as the Pride’s tournament drought reached 16 years.
“Pain is pain,” Hofstra coach Joe Mihalich said. “The dream we had didn’t come true. Couldn’t get any closer than we got. We’ll deal with this. For whatever reason we’re supposed to deal with, we will.”
C.J. Bryce’s three-point play with 1:20 left gave the Seahawks the lead for good, and Denzel Ingram iced it with a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, with UNC-Wilmington (25-9) scoring the final seven points of the extra session. The game, however, was lost in regulation.
Hofstra (24-9) managed just a single field goal over the final 12:30 of the second half, struggling against UNC-Wilmington’s full-court pressure defense. Playing their third game in as many days with a paper-thin six-man rotation, the Pride’s possessions were stagnant, there was little movement, and they missed 15-of-16 shots entering the extra session.
“I’m sure it played a part in it, there’s no doubt about that,” Mihalich said, regarding his team’s lack of depth.
Hofstra managed to force overtime despite trailing by four with 1:43 left following a 15-4 UNC-Wilmington run. Juan’ya Green’s layup and two free throws with 32.8 seconds left got them even at 68. The Pride had a chance to win, with possession and 5.2 seconds left, but didn’t get off a good shot as Green’s shot from just inside half-court failed to draw iron.
Green, the CAA Player of the Year, shot a ghastly 2-for-16 from the field and scored just 13 points, to go with eight assists. Fellow senior Ameen Tanksley led Hofstra with 24 points — 17 in the opening half — and sophomore forward Rokas Gustys, the face of the program moving forward, had 18 points and 23 rebounds.
“It’s horrible,” Green said. “I didn’t make shots for my teammates, I didn’t make the right plays. I just wasn’t making the shots I normally make.”
Hofstra’s future remains bright, led by Gustys and freshmen guards Desure Buie and Justin Wright-Foreman, and it will play in the NIT, courtesy of the Pride’s first CAA regular-season title. But it wasn’t the ending Mihalich had in mind, particularly for Green and Tanksley, who left Niagara with him three years ago and quickly built Hofstra into a winner, contributing to back-to-back 20-win seasons.
“My heart’s broken for these guys, especially the two guys I’m sitting between, because of what they’ve done for this program,” Mihalich said, referring to Green and Tanksley. “Sometimes in life, you don’t get what you deserve.
“Not to take anything from their team, but in my heart of hearts, these guys deserved to climb up the ladder. But we didn’t get it done.”
