Moore (30), Lester (20) enjoy home finales

Say what you will about Hofstra's struggles and disappointments, but there is one more thing you must say. The team sure knows how to make an exit.

As Mike Moore said after scoring 30 points in the last game he ever will play on the Pride's home court, "Better late than never."

Judging from any angle, Senior Day was the Pride's best day of the regular season. At the end of a schedule filled with angst and close losses, Hofstra gave itself a rousing sendoff, a 93-64 win over North Carolina Wilmington that the departing seniors never will forget.

"I don't think it has hit me yet. It's kind of surreal right now. Four years go by so quick," said Dwan McMillan, whose 15 assists were only one short of Hofstra's single-game record set by Robbie Weingard in 1983-84. "It's a humbling experience."

Nathaniel Lester, who missed all of last season because of an injury, was not about to let the moment go. Forty minutes after the game, he still was at courtside, in uniform, posing for photos with his family and buddy Charles Jenkins -- the Pride's all-time scoring leader and the man who beat out Jeremy Lin as the Warriors' backup point guard. Jenkins was home for the NBA All-Star break.

"I remember last year when he had his Senior Day how important it was to him," Lester said after his 20-point effort. "He called me up before the game. He said he was going to be there. That made it even better. I just wanted to go out there and give it my all. I've been here five years. We were clicking on the offensive end and the defensive end. Not a bad time to start."

In fact, coach Mo Cassara told his team it was more a beginning than an ending. Hofstra (10-21, 3-15 Colonial Athletic Association) will open the CAA Tournament in Richmond on Friday against Georgia State, a team that beat Hofstra, 59-43, in Hempstead earlier this month.

At least the Pride has some momentum and confidence. Having endured a scoring drought through much of the season, it shot 56.6 percent from the floor Saturday. Stephen Nwaukoni had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Shemiye McLendon and Stevie Mejia also had 10 points each.

It was clear from the start that the Pride meant business. UNC Wilmington (9-20, 5-13) was so flummoxed, committing three early turnovers, that coach Buzz Peterson (Michael Jordan's teammate on North Carolina's 1982 NCAA championship team) replaced all five starters 2:04 into the first half. He benched two of the replacements 46 seconds after that. Led by its seniors, Hofstra never let up.

"They wanted this one badly," Cassara said. "Even Sean Casady, the referee, came up to me and said, 'Where has this been all year?' ''

Moore recalled having played two seasons at Fordham before transferring. "I said, 'Is it really over now?' I've been in college five years, had five coaches. It has been a long trip for me, a lot of ups and downs. I just stuck with it," he said. "I couldn't ask for a better Senior Day."

The seniors sure wish they weren't leaving. They have seen the transfers who will be eligible next season. "Next year, the team will be even better than this year," Lester said. And Moore added, after a season of ups and downs, "There's a lot of upside."