Sports

Hofstra beats Georgia State with Mejia game-winner

Hofstra had every reason to fold, every reason to crumble. Every piece of evidence for nearly seven weeks suggested the Pride were merely actors in a horror movie sequel, unaware of the impending doom everyone watching them knew was slowly approaching.

But there was senior Stevie Mejia, disregarding a season’s worth of struggles and strapping the team to his back, scoring a game-high 17 points and driving for a game-winning shot high off the glass with five seconds left to give Hofstra a 52-50 win over Georgia State last night at the Mack Sports Complex, ending the Pride’s eight-game losing streak.

Hofstra (4-10, 1-0), which has only won at home this season, had coughed up a 12-point second-half lead, but after Devonta White’s 3-pointer hit the back rim as time expired, coach Mo Cassara could exhale. The Pride had won and he was fairly certain of it.

“I almost didn’t remember what it felt like. It’s been a while,” Cassara said. “I’m really proud of our guys. Obviously it’s been a long few weeks since we sat in here after a win, but this group of guys has been resilient. We’ve had great practices, great energy, great efforts and tonight we hung in there and got a couple bounces that went our way.”

The Pride began the game in familiar fashion, falling behind 9-2, while opening 0-for-5 from the field, but Mejia scored seven straight points late in the first half, giving Hofstra a 24-19 lead, as the Pride never trailed again, finishing the half up 29-21.

The Panthers (6-10, 1-2) shot 2-of-20 on 3-pointers and fell behind 37-25 with 15:36 remaining after a Mejia 3-pointer, allowing the guard and his coach to share a smile. The stress of the season was suddenly gone, but the flashbacks soon returned.

Mejia was soon pulled after his third foul, leading to a Georgia State full-court press and a 13-2 run, but Cassara reinserted the point guard shortly after taking him out, playing him 38 minutes on the night, having shot 7-of-12 from the field with four assists.

“I had no choice,” Cassara said. “We had to get him back in there. He’s our captain and he’s the fuel that makes the engine go. I talk to him about it all the time, when he’s good, when he’s energetic, when he’s playing well, we’re going to play well.”

For one night, the focus changed. You could forget the arrests on burglary charges. You could forget the suspensions. For one night, you really could.

Last night, the season started. And Hofstra still controls its own destiny.

“After a big win like this, it just takes that burden off your shoulders and gives you relief,” said guard Taran Buie, who had 12 points. “It lets us know it’s possible. It’s like missing a bunch of shots and just seeing one go in. It just gives you a whole world of confidence.”

Mejia added, “Just walking into the game, everybody in the arena was saying, ‘New start, new start.’ We all felt it. Now, we’re 1-0 in conference.”

howard.kussoy@nypost.com