By Kyle Kandetzki - Assistant Sports Editor Hofstra men’s basketball is finally back in position to vie for a CAA title, and their send-off to non-conference play certainly set an exciting tone.
The Pride traveled up to New Britain, Conn. on the final day of 2014 to play the Central Connecticut State University Blue Devils. For the second game in a row, Hofstra’s offense completely outgunned their opponent, taking an easy 84-56 win.
“We played a team that was a little beat up,” said head coach Joe Mihalich. “But I love how our guys stayed focused, there is only one way to play the game, and our guys did that.”
The tri-state area matchup quickly got out of hand thanks to another prolific performance from Juan’ya Green, who was coming off the program’s first ever triple-double vs. LIU-Brooklyn. Green hit consecutive threes, and helped the team go on a 16-2 run that put Hofstra from being up by four, to a 34-16 lead with seven minutes left in the first half.
Hofstra also put on a defensive clinic against the lowly 2-win Blue Devils, limiting them to just 25 points at halftime. Graduate player Dion Nesmith was the top performer at the break with 11 points, while Green had eight points with three assists in an already out of hand 47-25 game.
The second half seemed to have a foregone conclusion of a Pride victory at the end of it, but Hofstra still piled on 37 points. The most exciting performance came from Moussa Kone, who hit all five of his shots and reached double figures for the first time this season with 12 points.
“Moussa was playing so good in the pre-season, and then he gets injured on the first play [of the first game],” said Mihalich. “So it was great to see him shake off the cobwebs.
Green wasn’t as accurate from the field in the second half, hitting 3-of-9, but his scores still allowed him to lead the team in with 19 points at the final buzzer. Fellow transfer Ameen Tanksley continued his typical accuracy from the field, shooting 50% on twelve shots, while leading the team with seven boards.
Central’s lack of a consistent attack had them playing catch-up at all times, with only two players scoring more than six points. Those two were Faronte Drakeford and Matt Mobley, who combined for 36 points, but on 13-of-37 shooting. The Blue Devils as a whole only shot 35% from the floor, while Hofstra had an impressive 53% performance.
The second half saw both teams trading blows more often than the previous period, but it was all for naught for Central. Hofstra would only outscore the Blue Devils by six in the final period, but the team would never come with 18 points of the Pride.
Reserve guard Eliel Gonzalez added the final Hofstra points of the day on the way to the Pride’s 84-56 win. The win puts Hofstra at 9-4 at the end of non-conference play, a five-win improvement from last season.
“We’re happy, but not satisfied since we left a few out on the table,” said Mihalich. “We’re happy to have nine wins and we are ready to build on it.”
Five players scored in double figures (Green, Tanksley, Kone, Nesmith and Brian Bernardi), while Jamall Robinson only added five, but continued his increased role with the team thanks to 26 minutes on the floor.
Freshman Rokas Gustys remained absent on Wednesday, despite rumors that he would see play time before CAA play kicks off. Fellow freshman big man Andre Walker continued a minimal role, playing just six minutes.
Hofstra’s first conference game is against the University of North Carolina-Wilmington on January 3rd on the road. The Pride will seek their first CAA title, starting with four of their first five games on the road.