Fiery February continues for men's basketball
The Hofstra University men’s basketball team continued to find new ways to win on Thursday, Feb. 8, as they kicked off a three-game road trip by gutting out a 63-59 victory over the Hampton University Pirates. The win marked Hofstra’s third consecutive victory and their sixth in seven games after a 1-3 start to Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play.
“Great win for us, it’s always tough to win on the road,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “Proud of the way my guys came out and ended the game.”
The first half was hardly one to remember for the Pride, as they shot 1-10 from 3-point range and struggled to find their footing offensively, ultimately heading to the break tied at 27 with the last-place Pirates. The early struggles forced Hofstra to lean heavily on the red-hot Tyler Thomas, who continued his torrid stretch with a 28-point outing on 52.3% from the field.
Thomas’ heroics allowed the Pride to circumvent their early shooting woes and get back on track in the second half, as the Pride shot 50% from the field and closed the contest on a 12-2 run, all thanks to perfectly synchronized movements from the offense.
“Tyler’s our man and we’re always gonna ride with him,” Claxton said. “They were switching their five man onto him, we had the mismatch, so we gave him the opportunity to bring us home.”
Hofstra was without the services of Bryce Washington in this one, meaning an already short bench rotation was once again forced to play an integral role. Khalil Farmer continued his strong stretch of play with four points and sound defense, but Silas Sunday stole the show on the defensive end for the second consecutive game. The young seven-footer played over 14 minutes for the second game in a row, something he hasn’t done all year, and tallied seven rebounds to go with a pair of blocks.
“I really think Silas was a key contributor off the bench, especially on the defensive end,” Claxton said. “He’s a big presence. He got some big blocks and deflections to help us win.”
As is becoming tradition, Darlinstone “Dstone” Dubar poured in 16 points for his 24th consecutive game in double figures, despite notching just four points on 2-5 shooting in the opening half. Dubar did nearly all his damage in the second frame, as he came alive for five crucial buckets down the stretch.
“In the second half, [Dubar] was great, a little slow to start,” Claxton said. “He brought it in the second half, and we rode on the backs of him and Tyler.”
Following losses to both Towson University and Drexel University, Thursday’s victory allowed Hofstra to continue their climb into fourth place, as they now sit one game out of the CAA tournament’s top seed. With seven games to play and two games separating the conference’s top eight teams, the race is truly anyone’s to win, but Claxton is confident his squad will be playing their best basketball when the lights are brightest.
“February is our month. The last two years, we’ve been really good in February,” Claxton said. “So hopefully that continues, and we parlay that into the tournament.”
Photo courtesy of Evan Bernstein
