By Rob Pelaez -- STAFF WRITER
In a weekend ruled by Mother Nature and the snow storm Jonas, Hofstra senior Juan’ya Green didn’t let the cold get to him as he and sophomore Rokas Gustys managed to stay red hot in a 91-63 win over William & Mary on Sunday. Green posted 30 points and stuffed the stat sheet with eight boards and seven assists as well.
Gustys continued his dominance in the low post with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Pride, his 10th double-double on the year and sixth consecutive. Senior Ameen Tanksley also poured on 17 points in the win, and helped Hofstra improve to 14-6 on the year and 6-2 in CAA action. As for the Tribe of William & Mary, they fall to 13-6 on the season and 5-3 in the conference, losing a crucial game in the heat of the year.
William & Mary got off to a fast start in the first half, but the Pride was able to claw back into the game, tying it at 18 with just over 10 minutes left in the half.
The two teams battled fiercely, but the Tribe was just able to keep the Pride at arm’s length for much of the first half.
However, with just under two minutes to play, Tanksley hit a three-pointer, his first of the game, to tie it up at 35, and with just 19 seconds left in the half, Denton Koon hit a three to give the Pride its first lead since the opening minutes of the game.
David Cohn would hit a layup to beat the buzzer for the Tribe, but Hofstra was able to head into halftime with a slim one-point lead.
While only leading 38-37 at the half, the Pride managed to take control of the game in the second half, thanks to the court vision and sheer force of both Green and Gustys. The Tribe were outscored 53-26 in the second half, en route to most likely one of its toughest losses of the year.
The flood gates opened with 11 minutes to play in the second half, when Hofstra, led by Gustys, went on an 11-0 run to take a 57-48 lead. Hofstra didn’t let off the gas pedal, capping off the game with a 22-7 run to make the lead insurmountable with 4:45 to play.
It was Green’s first 30-point game as a member of the Pride, and his eight rebounds and six three-pointers matched a career high as well. Hofstra head coach Joe Mihalich had nothing but high praise for both Tanksley and Green after their solid performances.
“Tank [Tanksley] is always a consistent force, and he showed that tonight putting up 17 and five… And Juan’ya had an MVP performance, and he played like he’s the best player in this league, and there are a lot of them,” said Mihalich after the game.
As for the development of Gustys, Tanksley told the media, “Having Rokas play well has given us a lot more confidence in our shot-taking.”
Looking forward for the Pride, they take on Elon on Thursday, Jan. 28 followed by Drexel, UNCW, and James Madison for its next slate of games. Hofstra’s game against Elon will be at the Mack Sports Complex at 7 p.m.