ANCHORAGE ? Junior guard Antoine Aguido scored a game-high 28 points and senior guard Loren Stokes added 21 as Hofstra earned its first win of the season by clipping Marshall 73-70 in consolation round action today at the Carrs/Safeway Great Alaska Shootout.
In a game that featured seven lead changes and five ties, the Pride (1-3) would fend off a second-half rally by the Thundering Herd (1-3) to advance to Saturday's consolation semifinal against host Alaska Anchorage at 2 p.m.
Hofstra raced out to a 43-29 halftime lead, shooting 54.8 percent from the field, including going 8 of 14 from the three point arc. The Pride, who led by as many as 18 in the first 20 minutes, ended the half on a 33-19 run, while limiting Marshall to just 1-of-8 shooting from behind the arc.
Marshall (1-3) would make a game of it in the second half, outscoring Hofstra 41-30 while connecting on 6 of 12 shots from long range. The Herd went on an 11-0 run in the first three minutes of the second frame, cutting Hofstra's lead to one at 43-42.
A dunk by Mark Humphrey at the 14:25 mark gave Marshall its first lead since holding an 8-7 advantage early in the contest. The Huntington, West Virginia school would increase its lead to five at 52-47 with 11:25 remaining, but Hofstra would fight back to tie the game at 54-54 four minutes later.
Back-to-back field goals by Aguido would put the Pride up 59-54 with 5:46 left in regulation, but a three-pointer by Marshall's Tre Whitted would make the score 59-57 on the very next possession. However the Herd would never retake the lead as Hofstra would go 6 for 6 from the foul stripe in the final minute of play to secure the win.
The Pride held a slim edge on the glass, grabbing 32 boards to Marshall's 29, while shooting 49.1 percent from the field for the game.
Marshall was led in scoring by senior forward Travis Aikens and junior guard Mark Dorris who scored 15 points each.
The Herd will face Missouri-Kansas City in the 7th/8th-place game Saturday at noon.
