Hofstra dominant in win at William & Mary

The Hofstra Pride men’s basketball team continued their hot start to conference play on Saturday afternoon with a decisive 75-62 win over the College of William & Mary Tribe in Williamsburg, VA. Hofstra was in firm control of the game from start to finish, as the Pride led for over 37 minutes and never trailed in the second half. Hofstra now holds a 10-7 record season, including a 3-1 mark in Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) play, with all three of their wins against conference opponents coming away from home.  

“Just a great team win,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “We’re road warriors.”

The Pride stuck with their balanced approach on offense once again on Saturday, as Aaron Estrada and Tyler Thomas both led the team with 20 points apiece. Estrada’s offensive game was much more sound after a seven-turnover outing against Hampton on Thursday night, as the senior posted seven assists and did not commit a turnover in 40 minutes of action. Thomas played the full game as well and shot an efficient 72% from the field while collecting six rebounds and dishing out three assists. 

“Those are the go-to guys right now,” said Claxton. “They’re both playing at an extremely high level, we’re gonna ride those guys.” 

The Pride once again had four players score in double figures, as Darlinstone Dubar and Jaquan Carlos added 14 and 11 points, respectively. 

Hofstra had no problem exploiting the Tribe’s lack of size on the inside by scoring 50 points in the paint and shooting 70% from inside the arc. On the defensive end, Hofstra posted a whopping 12 blocks as a team, including five from Nelson Boachie-Yiadom and four from Warren Williams. 

W&M only had one player score in double figures, as sophomore guard Gabe Dorsey led the way with a career-high 21 points for the Tribe in the loss. Dorsey scored all of his points on three-point field goals, shooting an impressive 7-13 from long range. However, W&M’s leading scorer this season, Anders Nelson, was nearly invisible, as Hofstra limited the senior to just eight points and forced him to commit a trio of turnovers. The Tribe shot just 33% from the field as a team and an abysmal 41% from the free throw line. 

Hofstra returns home in their next contest on Wednesday, Jan. 11, against the Monmouth University Hawks, who are still looking for their first-ever conference win as a member of the CAA. 

Photo Courtesy of William & Mary Athletics