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Hofstra University Athletics

Chaz Williams

HOFSTRA HOSTS NIT SEASON TIP-OFF GAMES MONDAY AND TUESDAY

11/23/2009 12:00:00 PM

Hempstead, NY - The Hofstra Men's Basketball team, which is 50-10 in its last 60 home games dating back to 2004-05, will host Elon on Monday and Charlotte on Tuesday in the NIT Season Tip-Off at the Mack Sports Complex, with both games starting at 7 p.m.

The games will be the second half of doubleheaders, as Yale will face Charlotte on Monday at 4:30 p.m. and Elon on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.

Hofstra improved to 50-10 in its last 60 home games (and 89-29 in the history of the Mack Sports Complex) with an 87-48 win over Farmingdale State on Friday. The 39 points tied the largest victory margin in the history of the arena, matching the 84-45 win over Northeastern in the second game ever played at the Mack Sports Complex on January 4, 2000.

The Pride lost the services of junior All-American candidate Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY) with just over four minutes remaining in the first half, but received strong contributions from other players in his absence. Jenkins had nine points on 3-3 shooting in 13 minutes played, only the fourth time in his career that he has not scored in double figures (one of the other exceptions was in his college debut at Holy Cross). Jenkins returned to the Hofstra bench for the second half, but did not re-enter the game due to the lopsided score.

Junior guard Nathaniel Lester (Brooklyn, NY) led Hofstra with 21 points in the Farmingdale State game, the second time last week that he led the Pride in scoring (he also had 19 points in a 68-63 win over Yale in the first round of the NIT Season Tip-Off). Senior forward Miklos Szabo (Szeghalom, Hungary) added his second career double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds, while freshman guard Chaz Williams (Brooklyn, NY) nearly had a double-double as well with 11 points and nine assists. He was one assist shy of becoming the first Hofstra player to have at least 10 points and 10 assists in a regulation game since Carlos Rivera (11 points, 10 assists) at St. Francis (N.Y.) in December of 2005. Jenkins (last year vs. James Madison) and Rivera (2006-07 vs. UNC Wilmington) both did it in overtime games since.

Freshman guard Yves Jules (Brooklyn, NY) also took advantage of extended playing time and scored 12 points off the Hofstra bench, including a pair of three-pointers, giving the Pride four players in double figures for the first time this season. Hofstra also had 22 assists as a team, its highest total since tallying 24 in a home win over James Madison on January 5, 2006.

Elon comes into the week with a 2-2 record with wins over Lipscomb and FDU-Madison, and losses in the NIT Season Tip-Off to Charlotte and Coastal Carolina. Sophomore guard Josh Bonney leads the Phoenix with 18.3 points per game off the bench, while sophomore guard Drew Spradlin adds 16.0 points. Senior forward Adam Constantine is the top inside presence for Elon with 10.3 points and 8.3 rebounds per game.

Charlotte has gotten off to a 2-1 start this season with wins over UNC Asheville and Elon, before falling to Duke in the second round of the NIT Season Tip-Off. Junior forward Shamari Spears is the only 49er averaging in double figures in the early going, as he has averaged 21.5 points in the last two games after missing the opener. Freshman guard Shamarr Bowden averages 9.7 points off the Charlotte bench, while senior guard DiJuan Harris averages 9.0 points and 6.0 rebounds.

Hofstra nearly advanced to the semifinals of the NIT Season Tip-Off at Madison Square Garden, as it led No. 12 Connecticut by nine points (54-45) with just over nine minutes to play in the game. Connecticut, though, responded down the stretch to pull out a 76-67 win, as senior guard Jerome Dyson hit a tough pull-up jumper with a minute to play to give the Huskies a three-point lead, then drew a charge on Jenkins and made two foul shots to stem any Hofstra comeback hopes. Jenkins scored 21 of his 25 points in the second half, and also had five of his eight assists after the break. Jenkins had a hand in 35 of Hofstra's 44 second half points.

For ticket information, contact the Hofstra Box Office at (516) HOF-TIXX (463-8499) or purchase your tickets on line at www.GoHofstra.com.  Audio and video of the game will also be broadcast live on www.GoHofstra.com through the Pride Zone.
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