By Frank Aimetti - Staff Writer Jamall Robinson earned his first start of the season over Malik Nichols in what Coach Joe Mihalich hoped would be a wake-up call for his slumping Pride (14-9, 5-5 CAA) team. Unfortunately, it was more of the same as Hofstra was out-muscled, out-worked, and out-played en route to a crushing 86-72 loss to the Towson Tigers (11-12, 4-6).
After the game, Coach Mihalich said simply “This game honors toughness, and the toughest team won the game tonight.”
First-time starter Jamall Robinson wasted no time in getting the scoring going early, as he recorded the first basket of the game on a mid-range jumper. However, that would be his only score of the night in a performance that accurately reflected the play of the team as a whole. The warning signs weren’t apparent for Hofstra early as they started the game off energetically with a good pace, even if a little foul-prone.
The smart play didn’t last long however, with Towson quickly adjusting to the pressure defense the Pride had adopted and using it to their own advantage. The Pride appeared to be a step slow as Towson simply waited for the traps and double-teams the Pride was sending, and then moved the ball until they found the open man for an easy lay-in or open jumper.
The offense was far from impressive as well, with Dion Nesmith’s individual brilliance masking a lack of ball-movement and motion on the offensive side of the ball. Nesmith came off the bench to score 11 points in 14 first-half minutes behind hot shooting from long-range, where he hit 3 of 4. Nesmith would score only 2 second-half points, an ominous sign for an offense that largely depended on isolation plays and individual talent rather than a motion offense.
Compounding the issue was Robinson’s lack of fit with the starting unit, where he appeared to have trouble adjusting to the flow of the game. His shot selection (and shot-making) abilities were poor throughout the game, suggesting that moving from a focal point of the bench unit to a supporting role player in the starting lineup might not have been the ideal spot for him.
Hofstra’s offense succeeded in the first half by finding room to operate inside but by that same token, allowed Towson to bully their way into the point on the other side of the court. Green’s smart up-fake to draw and convert two free throws with 0.1 seconds left in the half gave Hofstra 37-36 lead going into the break.
Slow starts in the second half have plagued the Pride in their recent stretch of poor play and this game was no exception as Towson raced, seemingly in the blink of an eye, to a quick lead they would not look back from.
Poor play on both offense and defense were to blame for the slow start, with the defense often looking confused and unorganized while the offense didn’t fare much better with a lack of shooting and ball movement being the main culprits behind the early deficit. One of the few highlights of the second half for Hofstra was an impressive display of athleticism from Moussa Kone where he threw down a powerful reverse jam.
Hofstra’s lack of toughness and hustle on the boards was evident throughout the game with Towson claiming a number of rebounds off of their own free throw misses, usually a rarity in basketball.
Even on the infrequent occasions when Hofstra did get a stop on the defensive end, offensive rebounding and second-chance points from the Tigers demoralized Hofstra and took the crowd out of the game. The Pride’s lack of shot-blocking also hurt, as dump-off passes inside to Towson bigs seemed to be present throughout the second half.
With 10:51 to go in the second half, a pivotal turnover by Hofstra’s Juan’ya Green led to a steal, offensive rebound, and an and-one opportunity for Towson. This sequence put Towson up 58-49, and essentially summarized the problems with Hofstra’s play both in this game, and as of late.
From this point on, there seemed little doubt over who would emerge victorious with the Tigers getting whatever they wanted inside, finding little resistance at the rim.
The closest Hofstra came from that point was an attempted lay-up by Malik Nichols with 2:04 to go that would have cut the deficit to six. Unfortunately for the Pride, Towson’s Walter Foster erased the shot with ease, even saving the ball inbounds so as not to lose possession after the block.
From that moment on, it was simply a matter of sinking free throws, which Towson did fairly comfortably, hitting 9 of their last 10 free throws to win with a final margin of 86-72.
“We’re not going anywhere. There’s a lot of basketball left to be played. We’re not going anywhere. We’re down right now but this is just going to make us work harder. We’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves,” Coach Mihalich promised after the game, seemingly trying not just to reassure his team, but also himself.
Hofstra’s next game will see them travel to Newark, Delaware to take on the University of Delaware Blue Hens on February 4th.