Preview: Hofstra men's basketball hosts Drexel in critical CAA matchup
Payback is in store for Thursday, Feb. 22, as the Hofstra University men’s basketball team hosts the Drexel University Dragons for a Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) matchup with massive seeding implications for the CAA tournament.
Hofstra is coming into this game hot, having won eight of their last 10 games; one of their two losses was at Drexel on Thursday, Feb. 15. In a heartbreaking loss for the Pride, Drexel turned a 12-point deficit after the first half into a nail-biting two-point win. Amari Williams and Lucas Monroe led the way for the Dragons with 14 points apiece. Monroe’s performance brought his points per game average to 5.7.
While Williams has been a solid scorer all season with 12 points per game for Drexel, his defense has been his best asset. He leads in both rebounds and blocks per game with 7.9 and 1.8, respectively.
Drexel’s deadliest offensive weapon is Justin Moore, their leader in points per game with 12.2 and assists per game with 3.4.
Drexel’s defense is one of the country’s best, only giving up 65.4 points per game, good for 28th in the nation and second in the CAA. Their rock-hard defense has been the main reason Drexel has been successful this year, as their offense is a middle-of-the-pack unit, putting up 72.9 points per game.
Hofstra’s Tyler Thomas was his normal elite self in the previous game against Drexel, putting up 34 points, six rebounds, six assists and two blocks in his fourth 30-point effort of the season. The fifth-leading scorer in the nation will need to be on the top of his game again on Thursday if the Pride hopes to win.
Darlinstone “DStone” Dubar is still the Pride’s defensive anchor and second offensive option with 17.9 points per game. He leads the team with 6.6 rebounds and one block per game. Dubar was Hofstra’s leading scorer on Sunday, Feb 18, against Northeastern University with 24 points on 62.5% shooting.
Sunday was a special day for the CAA’s assist leader, Jaquan Carlos. Carlos set the conference record for assists in a game with 19, bringing his season average to 6.3 assists per game and rising to 13th in the country. In addition to his gaudy assist numbers, Carlos is scoring 9.9 points per game and grabbing 4.2 rebounds per game, while his team gets 1.5 steals per game.
The Pride sits at fourth in the conference in both points per game and points allowed per game with 74.7 and 69.3, respectively.
This matchup is shaping up to be an important one in determining the top four seeds in the CAA tournament. Drexel is tied for second place, only one game over the Pride. A win on Thursday could massively help the Pride in their quest to crack the top four and secure a double-bye in the conference tournament.
Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. from the David S. Mack Sports and Exhibition Complex.
Photo courtesy of Hofstra Athletics/Evan Bernstein
