HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - Hofstra started fast and capitalized on UNC Wilmington's early troubles to manhandle the Seahawks, 93-54, in Colonial Athletic Association men's basketball action Wednesday night at the Mack Sports Complex.

      The Pride snapped a five-game losing streak to improve to 10-12 overall and 3-7 in the CAA with the convincing win. The Seahawks lost for the sixth time in seven outings to fall to 7-14 and 3-7.

      "It was just one of those nights," said fourth-year UNCW skipper Benny Moss. "Everything they did seemed to go right. Whatever defense we called, they seemed to make the shot. Their backs were against the wall. They played extremely hard and very well. You have to tip your hat to them."

      Junior guard Charles Jenkins, the CAA's Co-Preseason Player-of-the-Year, poured in 24 points to lead all scorers in the contest. The 6-3, 220-pound whirling dervish missed just three shots on the night, going 7-for-9 overall and 9-for-10 at the free throw line for his game-high total.

      Jenkins was one of five players in double figures for Hofstra, which scored a season-high 54 points in the opening period to race out to a 54-25 lead at the break. Senior guard Cornelius Vines added 15 points, junior forward Greg Washington and freshman forward Halil Kanacevic collected 14 points apiece and freshman point man Chaz Williams had 11.

      Senior guard Johnny Wolf reached double digits for the third consecutive game with 14 points for the Seahawks.

      Hofstra jumped out to a comfortable lead midway through the opening stanza and never trailed to capture its fourth straight from the Seahawks. The Pride shot 55.9 percent en route to a 54-25 halftime lead and wound hitting 56.7 percent on the night.

      UNCW, meanwhile, struggled offensively from the opening tip, missing 13 of its first 15 shots and shot only 33.3 percent for the game, including 3-for-17 from long distance.

      Washington, who blocked 10 shots to match a Hofstra school record, helped the Pride get off to a good start by hitting three of his first five field goal attempts as HU built an early 9-3 edge. A Williams jumper on the left elbow gave the Pride a quick six-point advantage at 16:54.

      The Pride then reeled off 13 unanswered points to extend its lead to 24-7. Vines drained a pair of treys and Jenkins chipped in another as Hofstra's margin ballooned to 17 points with 12:10 left in the first half.

      The lead swelled to 25 at 9:21 in the first half when the Pride capitalized on an intentional foul and subsequent technical foul on UNCW's Benny Moss. Jenkins scored all 10 points in a 10-0 spurt and his layup with 8:57 on the clock gave the Pride a 34-9 cushion. It capped a 23-2 run that sealed the game early for the Pride.

      Hofstra's largest lead of the first half came with 1:02 remaining when Washington scored on a putback to give the Pride a 54-22 margin.

      The Pride then poured it on after intermission, scoring eight of the first 10 points after the break to build a 62-27 bulge. HU later opened up its biggest lead of the game at 11:10 when Vines launched a trey to give the Pride a 78-36 advantage.

      UNCW returns to Trask Coliseum for its next two games, entertaining Towson on Saturday at 6 p.m. and following up with a 7 p.m. tilt against VCU on Wednesday. Hofstra, meanwhile, hosts Delaware on Saturday at 4 p.m.

      GAME NOTES: UNCW leads the series, 12-8, since the Pride joined the CAA in 2002...The two teams combined for 24 fouls in the first half...Four Hofstra players reached double figures at halftime...The Pride had seven blocks in the first period...UNCW had just 16 points in the paint, compared to 34 for Hofstra...The Seahawks went 3-for-17 behind the arc...Junior point guard Chad Tomko, still nursing an ankle injury, was held scoreless for the first time this season...Hofstra won the battle of the boards, 41-30...Hofstra moved to 7-4 at home with the triumph...Junior guard Charles Jenkins has averaged 29.8 ppg in his last four games against UNCW...Benny Moss picked up his second technical foul of the season with 9:21 left in the first half...The 39-point margin was the largest differential in the 20-game series...UNCW now stands 4-5 in Hempstead in nine trips to Long Island.