HEMPSTEAD, NY — “Early pains, late gains” sounds like the slogan of a mutual fund company, but it’s also the unofficial motto of this year’s Hofstra men’s basketball program.

Six freshman and sophomores on the roster provides a chance to build for the future. It also means enduring young mistakes. Both the good and bad aspects of a young roster were on display yesterday afternoon, when the energetic underclassmen helped the Pride build a second-half lead before UNC Wilmington handed Hofstra an 87-83 overtime loss at the Mack Sports Complex.

Antoine Agudio, the Pride’s leading scorer and only senior starter, tied a career high with 34 points but failed to knock down the potential game-tying three-pointer with 16 seconds remaining in the overtime session in the Colonial Athletic Association conference opener for both schools.

T.J. Carter added a team-high 23 points, leading a balanced Seahawks offense that featured double-digit scoring from six players. Reigning CAA Rookie of the Week Chad Tomko built on his solid performance by hitting the go-ahead shot with 47 seconds remaining. The freshman also added two foul shots to give UNC Wilmington the victory in front of 2,836 at the Mack Sports Complex.

"I said it before the season started -- early pain for late gain," Hofstra coach Tom Pecora said. "Obviously losing a game like this is painful, but I have confidence that we're going to get better."

Some of the residuals from the early growing pains were felt early, culminating in a 17-point effort off the bench for Nathaniel Lester. The true freshman sent the arena into a frenzy when he drilled a game-tying three pointer with one-tenth of a second remaining. Lester’s shot was launched in front of the home bench, helping the Pride recover after they wasted a six-point halftime lead.

Despite Lester’s heroics and a 16-point effort from fellow freshman Charles Jenkins, lack of an interior presence once again put the pressure on Hofstra’s guards. UNC Wilmington forged a 46-35 rebound advantage and lit up the Pride’s defense from 5-7 from beyond the three-point arc in the second half.

The Seahawks shot nearly 68 percent in the second half and finished the game 17-19 from the free throw line. That was the difference in the game compared to Hofstra’s 12-22 showing on foul shots, which dropped the Pride to 1-3 overall with a game against regional rival Fordham upcoming this Wednesday.

"It's unacceptable. We don't lose at home," Pecora said. "We got an opportunity to get the game into overtime and then we weren't able to put them away."

Down 73-66, Lester slashes to the basket and drew a foul for a three point play. Agudio’s runner with 16.1 seconds left cut the deficit to 75-74. Hofstra’s strategy to foul paid off with a missed free throw gave them possession, though it appeared the Seahawks sealed the win following Jenkins turnover.

"I was worried about getting the ball and scoring instead of actually just getting the ball," Jenkins said. "At that time, I was anxious to complete the play. But the ball just slipped out of my hand."

Carter added two free throws with five seconds remaining, extending the lead to three before Lester took Greg Johnson’s long pass and hit the biggest shot of his young collegiate career. Lester said told Jenkins the game wasn’t over following his turnover.

"I got an open look and I got lucky and knocked it down," Lester said. "There's still time left on the clock. I didn't want him [Jenkins] to put his head down and think just because he made a little mistake that the game was going to be over."

Hofstra swept UNC Wilmington (5-2, 1-0) in the two-game series last season. The Pride captured one of those contests in double overtime that came after a triple-overtime victory over the Seahawks in the 2005-06 campaign. Tomko scored four of his team’s 10 points in overtime, extracting a measure of revenge for those aforementioned two close defeats.

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