The Hofstra Pride men’s basketball team finished third place in the 2016 Gulf Coast Showcase with a 65-57 win last Wednesday against the University of South Dakota in Estero, Florida. Junior forward Rokas Gustys, the leading rebounder in the nation, scored 10 points and secured 26 boards, a single-game tournament record. After a day off on Thanksgiving, the Pride returned home Friday for a matchup with Division III Medaille College, a game they won 89-56.
Sophomore guard Justin Wright-Foreman poured in a career-high 18 points off the bench. Senior guard Brian Bernardi scored 17 points of his own, including 3-6 shooting from three-point range.
Hofstra will bring a 4-3 record to Columbia Tuesday night where they will face the 3-2 Lions. Columbia started its season on a three game road trip, finishing 2-1 with double-digit wins against Stony Brook and Quinnipiac sandwiched around a blowout loss to Saint Joseph’s.
The Lions then lost a close contest to Army, 88-83 in the team's home opener, and then most recently beat Colgate 81-78 .
Junior guard Nate Hickman is Columbia’s leading scorer, averaging 18.6 points per game, 3.6 rebounds per game, and 49 percent shooting from the field. Senior forward Luke Petrasek is averaging 15.2 points and 8.4 rebounds per game.
The Pride own the Lions in the all-time series between the two teams, with the Pride boasting a 10-2 record in the 12 matchups. Columbia won the most recent game between the two, however, 82-77 in the 2014-2015 season. The Pride’s last victory against Columbia by a score of 64-40 in 2005. The first meeting between the teams ended with Hofstra winning 43-40 in the 1937-1938 season.