The Hofstra University men’s basketball team bounced back in a big way with a road win over Elon University, 74-63, on Thursday, Jan. 30. With the win, the Pride now sit at 4-5 Coastal Athletic Association (CAA) play, while Elon dropped to 5-4. Hofstra is closing the gap in the conference standings, now just two games behind Campbell University for the coveted fifth seed.
“Great win, what a way to respond,” said Hofstra head coach Speedy Claxton. “We lost a tough one last weekend, but [I’m] happy with our performance, I thought a bunch of guys played well.”
The depth of Hofstra put on a clinic, with four players scoring in double figures and both Michael Graham and Jean Aranguren recording a double-double. The Prides’ offense was spearheaded by sophomore guard Cruz Davis, who had a game high 18 points along with dishing out 4 assists.
Forward Joshua DeCady delivered the best performance of his young career, surpassing his previous career-high of 12 points by halftime. He finished with 15 points on an efficient 5-7 shooting, while also grabbing five rebounds.
“[DeCady] hit two big [3-pointers and] he was active; he guarded their best player,” Claxton said. “So happy with the way he’s coming along. I’m a big believer in DeCady and with them playing two traditional bigs, we needed more size, so that’s why I went with him.”
Michael Graham continues to build on his stellar season with another dominant performance against his former team. He poured in 15 points on an ultra-efficient 87% shooting while showcasing his versatility on the boards, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds – five of them on the offensive glass.
“This was [Graham’s] homecoming,” Claxton said. “[Graham has] been great all season, hopefully they pass that fifth-year rule and we can get him back for next season.”
Rebounding has been a key factor in Hofstra’s success, and it proved crucial once again as the Pride outworked Elon on the glass, 43-37.
This season the Pride have had one of their strongest defensive units in recent memory, a key factor in shutting down Elon’s offensive rhythm. Hofstra’s defensive pressure held Elon to an extremely poor 28% shooting from the field, including a 7-for-30 performance in the second half.
Hofstra excelled in making life difficult for one of Elon’s top players, senior forward Sam Sherry. Despite Sherry leading his team with 16 points, he struggled to find his usual efficiency, shooting just 36% from the field, a significant dip from his 53.7% season average.
“Any win is big, but a road win is even bigger,” Claxton said. “We’re not happy just getting one … but we gotta stay hungry.”
The Pride looked to keep climbing the CAA standings on Saturday, Feb. 1, when they travelled to the John W. Pope Jr. Convocation Center to take on Campbell University. Tipoff was scheduled for 1 p.m.
