By Steven Wolff -- STAFF WRITER On a huge second half run, the Hofstra men’s basketball team won its fourth straight game, beating the Drexel Dragons in Philadelphia by a final score of 70-64.
Hofstra persevered through a tough night, where the team shot 20 percent from beyond the arc, were out-rebounded by nine, and turned the ball over eight times. Also, Drexel’s Tavon Allen was hard to stop as he had 33 points for the Dragons.
The Pride was down 13 before a 17-3 run midway through the second half propelled them to victory. Center Rokas Gustys continued his solid season as he recorded his eighth straight double-double, racking up 11 points and 12 boards. This was right after he scored 23 points and grabbed 19 boards against Elon on Thursday.
Moreover, he helped contribute to the Pride’s dominance in the paint, outscoring Drexel 28-14. Senior guard Juan’ya Green had 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Senior forward Ameen Tanksley, who finished with 15 points also, keyed Hofstra to a 10-0 run in the second half. That run cut the Pride’s deficit to 47-44 with 10 minutes left to go.
Graduate forward Denton Koon, who has been a force for Hofstra this season, added to his 11 points by draining a three pointer with 5:45 left to give the Pride a slim two-point edge. Free throw shooting, which had been an Achilles heel for the Pride the past couple of seasons, proved to be a difference maker. Hofstra shot 14 of 16 from the free throw line in the final five minutes, and 8 of 8 in the final minute and a half. The Pride also shot very well in the second half, shooting 63 percent from the field.
Additionally, the Pride shut Drexel down defensively, holding the Dragons to 2 of their last 10 shooting from the field. Drexel also shot just 32 percent from behind the arc.
With the win, Hofstra improves to 16-6 on the season and 8-2 in CAA play, while Drexel falls to 3-18 overall and 1-9 in the Colonial. The Pride is tied with UNCW at the top of the conference and will look to continue its strong play, as the Pride host UNCW on Thursday at 7 pm.