Hofstra makes it nine of 10 with 87-74 win over Georgia State

The start was impressive, the middle was rough and the ending turned out just fine. That sequence can describe either Hofstra's game Saturday against Georgia State or Hofstra's entire regular season. Take your pick. Both made the Pride proud.

A stirring 87-74 win was a solid goodbye to the Mack Sports Complex for the season and a hello to the postseason, which will begin at 6 p.m. Friday against Georgia State in the first round of the Colonial Athletic Association Tournament in Richmond, Va.

"I always pack four suits. I hope I get to wear all of them," coach Tom Pecora said.

The regular-season finale Saturday had the usual poignant touches that Senior Day always has. About two hours before the game, Cornelius Vines made his last game-day walk to the arena. "I had my headphones on; I was into my music," he said. "I said I wasn't going to cry, but I broke down a little bit."

Did that fuel the energy with which he hit five three-pointers in the first half on his way to an 18-point game? Said Vines, "I guess you could say that."

You also could say that an extended stay in Richmond - and an opportunity to see Pecora's expanded wardrobe - is not likely. But it isn't out of the question. Not for Hofstra, which has won six in a row and nine of its past 10 to finish 10-8 in the conference and 18-13 overall.

The finale was especially striking, considering how much Hofstra struggled in late January.

"Coach got into us," junior guard Charles Jenkins (29 points, seven rebounds, four assists against Georgia State) said, thinking back a month. "He let us know this is our legacy. He always tells us that life is about the dashes."

Jenkins explained that everyone's tombstone has the birth year, death year and a dash, adding: "Life is what you do in between."

Pecora said, "We got healthy." The schedule improved, too, after a steady diet of CAA contenders. Plus the coach got smarter and more compassionate after his scathing criticism after a 90-72 loss to George Mason Jan. 19, late in a 1-6 slide.

"I was mad, as mad as I've ever been," he said. "Then I ran them too much. At Drexel, we had no legs and we got 'tatered' down there. So I came back and said to my staff, 'That's it. I'm just going to love them up.' "

There was plenty to love right through yesterday. Georgia State (12-19, 5-13) did cut a 14-point deficit to one with 16:53 remaining, but Hofstra held stride. A block by Greg Washington and a fast-break layup by freshman Chaz Williams (nine points, 10 assists) with 8:49 left had a lively crowd howling and made the score 68-56.

It also made the Pride wistful - an hour after the game, Vines still was in uniform, near the court, talking with friends - and hopeful.

"Hey, I've never had a team go nine out of 10 down the stretch before," Pecora said. "Maybe it's Kismet."