The Hofstra University men’s basketball team suffered a heartbreaking 65-60 loss on Thursday, Jan. 16, against Towson University. The Pride jumped out to a 39-21 lead before halftime but a second-half comeback from the Tigers put Hofstra in the loss column, as they fell to 10-8 overall and 2-3 in the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA).
“The effort was there, the ball just didn’t bounce in our favor,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “A couple possessions did down the stretch, but they got two big offensive rebounds and ended up hitting a three out of it which was really the backbreaker.”
The first half was all about the Pride, who came out firing on all cylinders with a red-hot offense. Hofstra played amazing, shooting an incredible 70% from the field while draining six 3-pointers.
The Pride wasted no time asserting control, starting off a dominant 10-0 run early in the half to build a commanding lead – which continued to grow with no signs of slowing down. Their lead ballooned to as much as 18 points before settling at 41-32 heading into the break.
Unfortunately for the Pride, momentum swung in the opposite direction as the second half unfolded. After a nearly perfect offensive first half, Hofstra had a nightmarish second half and struggled mightily to keep their big first-half lead
Despite the Pride’s defense having a stronger second half by holding the Tigers to just 9-28 shooting, Hofstra’s offense began to slip away from them. The Pride shot an abysmal 25% from the field and went just 1-14 from three.
One of the stars of the season for the Pride has been Jean Aranguren, who has kept his stellar campaign rolling with another impressive showing. Aranguren finished with a team-high 14 points along with dishing out five assists.
Unfortunately for Hofstra, Aranguren found himself in foul trouble for a significant stretch of the second half, disrupting the team’s offensive rhythm and forcing Claxton to pivot elsewhere to find some form of offense.
Claxton was visibly distraught after the game, expressing his frustration with some of the foul calls.
“When you lose your best player for that amount of time, you’re gonna struggle,” Claxton said. “I didn’t think the calls were fair, but they called it, so we got to live with it.”
The Pride were able to find life with one of their most fundamentally sound players, Michael Graham, who has continued to be a versatile weapon for the Pride. Graham put up 12 points on 6-7 shooting while also crashing the glass and coming down with a game-high seven rebounds–two of which were offensive rebounds.
“[Graham] is great, he’s been consistent the whole year,” Claxton said. “That’s what we expect from him, this is nothing new.”
The Pride is in a tie for fourth place in the CAA with a 2-3 conference record. Three of their next five CAA matchups come against teams with sub .500 conference records, presenting a key opportunity to climb the standings.
Hofstra looks to bounce back after three days of rest when they take on Drexel University on Monday, Jan. 20. Tip-off is set for 3 p.m.
